The Boston Celtics have made yet another move under team president Brad Stevens, acquiring swingman Josh Richardson from the Dallas Mavericks for center Moses Brown.
Richardson, selected in the second round by the Heat at the 2015 NBA Draft, developed from a bench player into a playoff-seasoned starter. He peaked in year four, averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steal, nailing 35.7% of 6.3 attempts from long-range during the 2018-19 season.
Welcome to Boston, @J_Rich1 ☘️☘️
Trade details: https://t.co/TDurmChuyU pic.twitter.com/HMJjC8b1LI
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 31, 2021
He was traded to Philadelphia in the four-team deal centered around the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade, with his numbers dipping (13.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, .341 3P%) in the pandemic-abbreviated campaign. With the Sixers retooling under new GM Daryl Morey, Richardson was flipped to the Mavericks for Seth Curry; his lone season in Dallas saw another across-the-board dip. It’s expected he’ll opt into the final season of his four-year deal as part of the transaction.
On the Mavericks side, the deal clears a significant amount of cap space while also creating a trade exception that would last through the season, providing a number of options as they continue to shape their future around star guard Luka Doncic.
The deal comes on the heels of a reported three-team deal sending Tristan Thompson to the Sacramento Kings, with Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando and a second-round pick arriving from Atlanta and Kings guard Delon Wright going to the Hawks.
