Just like they did last year with the matching of a Maverick offer to Marcin Gortat at the last minute, the Orlando Magic have retained shooter J.J. Redick (number 20 on the Big Board) by matching the offer he received from Chicago. The contract will be for 4 years, $19 million. Being the hardcore Duke fan that I am, I love JJ Redick and love the game he has developed for himself. He's always been known as a shooter but over the last year he developed the ability to shoot on the move and turned himself into a gritty defender. But there are two parts to this deal. On the one hand, Redick's price tag makes him very valuable. I was a bit surprised that he didn't get more than $19 million in the first place. So you can understand why Orlando would jump at the chance to keep him around at that price. On the other hand, though, the Magic have now made it quite a habit to pay a lot of money for players who don't get much playing time from head coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic have now given Redick $19 million, Brandon Bass $16 million, Gortat $35 million, and Chris Duhon $16 million. Redick played 22 minutes per game last year and that was much higher than either Bass or Gortat. Duhon seems likely to fall into the same 15-18 minutes per game range. So while they still don't have a starting power forward to pair with Dwight Howard, nor a defensive stopper on the perimeter (since they seem content to let Matt Barnes walk away), they've got $86 million tied up in four guys who don't get much burn. I just don't understand the strategy. It should be noted, too, that Bass and Gortat were extremely displeased with their playing time last year and you can bet Redick will be in the same boat as he would have been the starter in Chicago. All of these guys are nice players but the mentality just doesn't make sense.
Grade: B-
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