J.J. Redick was 'Hour Away' from Joining Pacers

Before reaching an agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year, $12.3 million contract, J.J. Redick seriously considered signing with the Indiana Pacers.

On the most recent episode of The J.J. Redick podcast, the 34-year-old revealed how he contemplated leaving Philadelphia for Indiana in free agency.

"I almost signed with Indy, I mean I was an hour away, two hours away," he said. "I was very close, I had a 5 p.m. deadline and it was basically 12:30-1 o'clock in the afternoon when Philly changed the offer."

The 76ers likely sweetened their contract offer after learning of Indiana’s interest in the shooting guard. With both teams on the rise, Philadelphia couldn’t afford to lose a member of its starting lineup to a top-notch Eastern Conference foe.

J.J. Redick considered joining Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers in free agency. (USA Today Sports)

Philadelphia desperately needed to maintain the sharpshooting Redick—who averaged a career-best 17.1 points per contest and shot 42 percent from three-point territory in 2017-18—after losing Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli in free agency.

While the Pacers were unable to pry Redick away from the 76ers, they managed to address their shooting needs by signing Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott.

Redick indicated last year he wants to retire with the 76ers. He will play under a one-year deal for the second straight year—after signing a 1-year, $20 million with the franchise in the summer of 2017—and will rejoin a team that won 52 games in the regular season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.