76ers Could Be Ideal Trade Suitor For Spurs' Josh Richardson?

The 76ers have a need for a 3-and-D wing this offseason. Could they be an ideal Josh Richardson suitor?

The San Antonio Spurs have options this offseason. Among them would be to trade some of their veteran talents for assets like Doug McDermott or Josh Richardson. 

There will be plenty of contenders looking to add a sharpshooter and a 3-and-D wing. One of those teams will be the Philadelphia 76ers given Danny Green will miss significant time after suffering a torn ACL in the playoffs. 

Green is entering the final year of his current contract and his $10.0 million salary is fully non-guaranteed if he's waived before July 1. They have been exploring packaging his salary along with the 23rd overall pick in the NBA Draft to add a key player.

In a conversation with NBA Analysis Network, one former NBA executive identified Josh Richardson as an ideal trade target for the 76ers this offseason. 

“Danny Green is probably best being used in a trade for salary matching since his money is non-guaranteed. He’s going to be out a while with the ACL tear anyway. Josh Richardson is going to a few million more and would be a helpful 3-and-D next to their stars. He shot the ball a lot better last season after his rough year with Dallas. He’s already got history playing with Embiid too.”

Richardson had a strong end to the 2021-22 season after being traded by the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 21 games with the Spurs and averaged 11.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. 

If the Spurs were to swap Richardson for Green and the 23rd pick as the base framework of a trade, it would present the ability to clear $12.1 million in cap space. It would clear the third-largest salary off their books ahead of his contract year. 

The Spurs do already have three total selections in the first round of the upcoming NBA Draft. Adding another first-round pick would afford them plenty of combinations for trade packages to move higher in the order for the second selection they make. 

Moving on from Richardson isn't necessarily a need for the Spurs, but it should be considered if there's an opportunity to gain value. San Antonio already netted one first-round pick by parting with Derrick White. Landing another with the player they acquired in exchange for White would be savvy asset management. 

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You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.

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