Veteran G Redick agrees to 2-year deal with Pelicans

Veteran shooting guard J.J. Redick agreed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, ESPN reported on Sunday night. The Pelicans also will reportedly trade for Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors, who was made expendable when the team added Bojan Bogdanovic and Ed Davis earlier Sunday. The Jazz are expected to receive undisclosed draft picks in return.

Redick, who turned 35 last week, spent the past two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 2018-19 season, he averaged a career-high 18.1 points per game to go with 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 76 games (63 starts). He shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range last season.

In New Orleans, he and Favors will be two of a number of new faces on the court. The Pelicans selected fellow Duke product Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick and traded All-NBA player Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and draft picks. Redick, the No. 11 selection of the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA Draft, spent his first six-plus seasons in Orlando before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played in 28 games in the 2012-13 season. He then played four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before signing as a free agent with the 76ers.

He has a career scoring average of 12.9 points. Favours, who turns 28 on July 15, averaged 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 76 games (70 starts) for Utah last season, his ninth with the team since arriving via trade from the Brooklyn Nets in his rookie year of 2010-11. Favours has career averages of 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Pelicans also will add Nicolo Melli, a forward/centre in the EuroLeague, on a two-year free-agent contract, according to multiple reports. No terms have been released.

Melli, a native of Italy, played in his home country and Germany before spending the past two seasons with Fenerbahce in the Turkish League. Now 28, Melli turned pro in 2007 at age 16. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound player has rejected previous NBA offers. In his two seasons in Turkey, he played in 72 regular-season games, averaging 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.