Getty Seth Curry (right) of the Sixers, and former Sixer Josh Richardson
In November, when the Sixers dealt away defensive ace Josh Richardson to Dallas for Mavs guard Seth Curry, the deal was seen as an effort to cut away some of Philadelphia’s bloated NBA salary, with Richardson ($10.8 million) slated to make considerably more than Curry this season ($7.8 million).
But Curry, it turns out, has been the better player, averaging career highs in points (13.0) and 3-point percentage (46.8%) as Richardson has averaged 12.9 points while shooting just 43.3% from the field and 30.1% from the 3-point line.
After Curry scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the Sixers’ win over the Mavericks on Thursday, Curry gave his former team a bit of a needling.
“They made a bad business decision,” Curry said, “but it happens all the time. It is what it is, another night to go out and get a win and play well as a team. That’s the ultimate goal is to get a win. The main thing, it was good to see a lot of my guys on the other end of the floor then go out there and play a game.”
Curry Has Played for Seven NBA Franchises
Curry does know he owes a good bit to the Mavericks for his NBA career. When he says bad business decisions happen all the time in the NBA, he knows what he is talking about—he’s been theh subject of many of those decisions.
Curry has played for seven different NBA franchises, most of which never gave him much of a chance to show he could play. He played two career games for Phoenix and one each for Cleveland and Memphis. He was on hand with both the Warriors and Magic, but never appeared in a game for either.
Seth Curry says he has a lot of respect for the guys with the Mavericks, but he still believes they made a bad business decision trading him.
This season:
48.3 FG% | 46.8 3PT% | 93.8 FT%
Richardson + pick No. 36 for Curry was a great trade for Sixers!
It was the Kings who first gave Curry his first shot at playing time in the NBA, but the Mavericks twice picked him up and made him a starter. He averaged 12.4 points and shot 45.2% from the 3-point line for the Mavs last year and Dallas, which is shooting 35.3% from the 3-point line, 23rd in the league, certainly misses him.
Seth Curry Back After Ankle Injury
Curry was back on the floor after missing Tuesday’s game against Toronto with an ankle injury. He logged three steals on the night, drawing praise from Sixers coach Doc Rivers for his defensive effort. Curry is not known as much of a defender, but has improved this season.
He said the ankle is still a work in progress.
“It felt good,” Curry said. “The injury allowed me to get a couple of days off which is huge these days but I always feel like I play good defense. Can’t have no weak links out there if you want to have a great defense. Everybody has to pull their weight. We’re getting better, 1-15.”
The day off did seem to benefit him, as he looked a bit worn in the Sixers’ two previous games, a win over the Bulls and a loss to the Raptors. He scored 21 combined points in those games, but shot 6-for-23 from the field and 3-for-12 from the 3-point line all together. He made all three of his 3-point attempts on Thursday, just the second time he has been perfect from the arc all season.
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