Signing a one-year, $23 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers last offseason, it seemed like JJ Redick was simply taking advantage of a preposterously-lucrative short-term contract offer.After all, the 33-year-old shooting guard averaged 15.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 28.2 minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. The price tag simply didn’t match his output.But, the expensive deal was a product of the free agency period as a whole. As the best high-profile perimeter shooter on the market, Philly decided to use a large part of their cap space, adding the veteran sharpshooter to a young core including Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.So far, the marriage has been a pleasant one. Averaging 16.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 31.6 minutes per contest, Redick has been an important and productive piece of the 76ers offense and has shot 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. He’s on pace to shoot over 40 percent from deep for their fourth-consecutive year and he’s having a career-best scoring campaign.Interestingly, Redick is a key piece in what has been the league’s best statistical starting five this season. In terms of scoring differential, Philadelphia’s starting unit of Simmons, Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Embiid leads the entire NBA and outscores their opponents by a ridiculous amount per 100 possessions.

That impact goes beyond the box score. On paper, the Sixers' starting five might not seem as intimidating as some of the others around the league, but they've exceeded expectations. Redick's role in it is unquestioned. 

Although he probably knows that he won’t receive a long-term deal with the identical annual value of his current deal, Redick wants to stay in the City of Brotherly Love for as long as possible.

“This is something that I’ll reiterate that I said last summer when I signed here. I want this to be a long-term thing,” the shooting guard said Sunday morning, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I love playing here,” Redick explained. “I love playing with these guys. I love playing for Brett [Brown]. This has been a fantastic experience.”

Since the Sixers will undoubtedly chase some of the high-profile free agents that will presumably be on the market this summer (most notably LeBron James), there’s a chance that Redick could go overlooked, depending on how much money the franchise spends.

“It’s hopefully something that will work out in the end. We’ve got 20 games left, a lot can change,” Redick noted.