On his most recent podcast, JJ Redick said that he was very close to joining the Indiana Pacers in free agency.

“I almost signed with Indy,” Redick said. “I was an hour away, maybe two hours away … I had a whole conversation with Nate McMillan.”

Redick said that his current team the Philadelphia 76ers changed their offer before a deadline he had to decide on a deal with Indiana and he decided to stay put.

If Redick would have signed with the Pacers, it likely would have meant that Tyreke Evans would not have joined the team. 

Redick would have been an interesting fit with the Pacers as he plays the same position as Victor Oladipo and the Pacers would have felt the loss of Lance Stephenson even more without adding Evans as a secondary playmaker.

It’s also possible that Doug McDermott was the backup plan to Redick as Tony East of 8 points, 9 seconds suggests.

Redick brought the subject up because he had badmouthed Indianapolis a bit in his previous episode, naming it his least favorite NBA city to visit and was apologizing for doing so, complimenting the city and its people. You can listen to the whole podcast below.