The Boston Celtics aren’t the only NBA team looking to improve their roster this summer. In fact, almost every team in the league is trying to make moves to improve their chances of competing at the highest level next season.
While the Celtics managed to get their big business out of the way earlier, with the acquisitions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari, other teams are biding their time, waiting for the right deal to become available.
The Boston Celtics are trading Josh Richardson to the San Antonio Spurs for Derrick White, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, one team that could be ready to strike is the San Antonio Spurs, as they begin to enter a rebuild, and it would seem that former Celtic Josh Richardson is one of their primary trade chips. Buckley’s proposed trade would look like this;
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Coby White, Marko Simonovic
Chicago Bulls Recieve: Josh Richardson
“The San Antonio Spurs are clearly open for business after trading away Dejounte Murray, and rival clubs think Richardson, Jakob Poeltl, and Doug McDermott are all available, per Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus. If Richardson is up for grabs, the Bulls would do themselves a favor by adding him to their wing rotation,” Buckley reasoned in his July 13 article.
Richardson impressed during his time with the Celtics, rebuilding his value as a three-and-d wing, while also proving he was capable of leading an offense in short sputs while also being a primary wing stopper on the defensive end. Unfortunately, Richardson’s time in Boston was cut short, as he was sent to the Spurs as part of the trade package for Derrick White.
During his 44 appearances for the Celtics, Richardson averaged 44 games with the Celtics, Richardson averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from the field and 39.7% from the three.
Derrick White Proved Worthy of Big Trade
When the Celtics originally acquired Derrick White at the trade deadline, there was a lot of talk about Boston overpaying for his services. However, Brad Stevens spoke glowingly about the veteran guard’s ability to improve the Celtics rotation, and how his skill set would allow him to accentuate the talents of his teammates moving forward.
“We’ve thought for years that Derrick was a really good fit with our best players. He is an excellent defender. He just makes the right play on offense over and over and over. He’s a guy that only cares about winning, that will do all of the little things, as you can see in some of his stats,” Stevens told the media during a February 11 media availability.
As it turns out, Stevens and Udoka were right, as White played a pivotal role in helping the Celtics reach the NBA finals as the first guard off the bench. Sure, White’s shooting numbers have been patchy since he arrived with the Celtics, but his ability to break down a defense off the dribble, and continually make the right basketball play proved to be the perfect foil for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s offensive games.
Boston Looking to Add Another Wing
In a funny turn of events, the Celtics are currently short at the wing position, and a player like Richardson would do wonders for their depth chart. Of course, the veteran wing earns too much money for Boston to reasonably pursue a reunion with him, even if he is an ideal fit.
Still, as confirmed by Ime Udoka during a July 12 media interview, the Celtics are interested in adding another wing to their rotation, assuming they can locate a realistic option to fill the rotation spot.
Ime Udoka reveals the position he would still like to see the #Celtics add more depth at in the offseason 👀
“Talked about adding another big, possibly another wing, and we’re just monitoring everything we’re doing here and taking a good look at our guys…For us, the best available wing, possibly, you always like to add shooting,” Udoka noted, as he spoke to the media following the Boston Celtics 103-92 Summer League victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Unfortunately, that wing is unlikely to be Richardson, so one can only hope that he finds himself in a position to succeed next season, be that with the Spurs, Bulls, or any other team around the league.
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Proposed Trade Sees Ex-Celtics 3-and-D Wing Team Up With Zach Lavine