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Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Summary
In the summer of 2019, Philadelphia traded for Josh Richardson because they thought he could help the 76ers become the best defense in the league, and that he would fit as a secondary playmaker next to Ben Simmons. Neither of those really came to fruition. Philadelphia was 7th in the NBA in defense, which is good but not near the elite level they needed to be to be a real title contender given their offensive rating. On offense, Richardson was overtasked when asked to create in pick-and-roll, and wasn't the spotup threat around Simmons and Embiid that those two need in order for the 76ers offense to be successful.
Richardson was theoretically a better fit on the Mavericks, but struggled to make a real impact in Dallas. He missed a decent chuck of games, and when he did play he was ice cold from three, hitting a career low 33%. His usage was also way down, which was somewhat expected given the heliocentricity of the Mavs' offense around Luka Doncic, but also somewhat concerning if Richardson isn't shooting well and also isn't making plays for others. Since he's coming off a rough season, I expect Richardson to opt in, but you can also make the argument that he should hit free agency now if spending another year in Dallas would only hurt his value further.
Richardson is a two-way wing who can guard multiple positions well and will be going into his age-28 season in 2021-2022, so if he does opt out I wouldn't worry too much about his next contract looking too bad on the back end, unless it rose to a really high number.
Cap Considerations
Richardson has an $11.7 million player option for 2021-2022. If Richardson opts out, he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $16.4 million cap hold and full Bird rights. Since his cap hold is close to his market value, his cap hold really isn't that relevant, as the Mavericks will either let him walk in order to maximize their cap space, or they will re-sign Richardson and cut into some of their space.
If Richardson demands a starting salary of more than the full $9.5 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him. If Richardson and an over-the-cap team have mutual interest, sign-and-trade options can be explored. It is possible Richardson could be had for the full MLE if it was on a long-term contract, but he's not opting out to take less money on a short-term deal.
Potential Teams: Mavericks, Bulls, Hornets, Knicks, Pelicans
Predicted Contract: Opt-In: $11.7 million
If opt out: 2-year, $25 million with the Mavericks
Actual Contract: Opt-In: $11.7 million
Richardson didn't need to opt out to find a new situation after struggling in Dallas, as he was traded to Boston after opting in.
Last updated: 7/31/2021
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