Josh Richardson was a promising wing not too long ago. During the 2018-19 season, he averaged 16.6 PPG, all while shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. While he hasn’t had the best seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers or the Dallas Mavericks, it seems as though he is getting his fresh start. Sometimes, all a player needs is a different environment to play better.
The Boston Celtics have agreed to a Josh Richardson trade with the Dallas Mavericks, and they are able to acquire him without sending anything back due to a prior trade exception. With this trade, the Boston Celtics get a solid rotational piece in Richardson, and he could potentially be a great backup option for the team as a wing player, slotting in nicely behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
The Dallas Mavericks are finalizing trading G/F Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Richardson is exercising his $11.6 million player option for the 2021-22 season for the deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 31, 2021
Sources confirm that Boston is acquiring Josh Richardson with their $11M trade exception. Because the salary for Richardson jumps to $11.6M in 2021/22, the trade will get finalized on Saturday. The Mavericks will create a $10.9M trade exception as part of the deal.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 31, 2021
The Mavericks are now in position to possibly have up to $33M in cap space. However, using a majority of room could come at the cost of free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. https://t.co/csZnWAZRW3
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 31, 2021
While the Dallas Mavericks didn’t gain any players back in exchange for Josh Richardson, they have managed to create a lot of cap space, while also getting a $10.9 million trade exception of their own. They could potentially have the cap space to sign a star, and it remains to be seen which players they go after. There are multiple avenues they could take in improving their roster: they have been linked with two veteran point guards in Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry, for example. Hopefully, free agents feel the allure of playing with Luka Doncic, who is a superstar already.
The Dallas Mavericks got rid of a minor rotation piece in order to chase some big names in free agency, while the Boston Celtics are getting a solid wing in Josh Richardson who could potentially give them some supplementary bench scoring, as well as solid on-ball defense. It remains to be seen whether either team makes further moves, but this is a solid trade for both the Celtics and the Mavericks.
