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 ????
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 31, 2021
Trade details: https://t.co/TDurmChuyU pic.twitter.com/HMJjC8b1LI
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.
