While it seems long ago given the constant up-and-downs with the Pelicans, the report indicating that JJ Redick and Lonzo Ball were involved in trade rumors was little more than a month ago. At the time, the Pelicans were 5-10 and coming off a road trip in which they went 1-5.
While they are still four games under .500 on the year, New Orleans has turned things around enough that Ball and Redick appear to have been removed from the trading block. However, that hasn’t stopped Redick from making some jokes about it.
On his latest episode of The Old Man & the Three podcast, Redick welcomed Saturday Night Live actor Kenan Thompson to the show. While discussing Thompson’s work, his impersonation of LaVar Ball came up, leading to the following exchange between Redick and co-host Tommy Alter.
Alter: “JJ, do you know if Lonzo has seen it?”
Redick: “This is not something I’ve discussed with Lonzo. This is not something I’ve discussed with Lonzo. Lonzo and I just discuss trade rumors. That’s all we discuss.”
It’s a typically light-hearted approach from Redick on the subject. Ball himself appeared on the podcast in the past, stopping by for an interview at the start of quarantine in 2020.
Part of the reason neither Ball nor Redick is in trade rumors anymore has been their play. Since being in those trade rumors, Ball is averaging 16.2 points while shooting 47.1% from 3-point territory while Redick, after a brief spell out of the rotation, is shooting 45.1% on 3-pointers.