Wizards Notes: Beal, Point Guard, Porzingis, Batiste
Wizards guard Bradley Beal is out for the rest of the 2021/22 season after undergoing wrist surgery and can opt out of his contract this summer. However, president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard remains confident that Beal hasn’t played his last game with the franchise.
“I believe Bradley is going to be here moving forward,” Sheppard told reporters on Friday (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington). “… Certainly we plan on him being here in the future. If he feels otherwise, he will let us know.”
Multiple reports in recent weeks, both before and after Beal’s injury, have stated that the Wizards remain committed to offering the star guard a five-year contract if he turns down his player option in the offseason.
Here are a few more Wizards notes:
- The Wizards’ point guard depth took a hit on Thursday when the team traded away Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday just six months after acquiring them. Ish Smith and Raul Neto are handling point guard duties in the short term, but Sheppard said today that upgrading the position will be a priority for the club heading into 2022/23. “That’s our focus for sure in the offseason,” Sheppard said (Twitter link via Hughes).
- The Wizards’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis was the “ultimate high-risk, high-reward move,” Josh Robbins writes for The Athletic. Discussing the move today, Sheppard said, “You can’t be afraid to take big swings” (Twitter link via Robbins).
- Porzingis missed the Mavericks’ last five games due to a right knee bone bruise, but Sheppard expects the big man to be available soon, tweets Hughes. It’s possible Porzingis could make his Wizards debut as soon as Saturday.
- Wizards assistant coach Mike Batiste was suspended two games without pay by the NBA for entering the stands in an attempt to confront a fan, the NBA announced on Thursday (via Twitter). The incident took place near the end of the team’s loss to Miami on Monday (video link). Batiste served the first game of his suspension on Thursday vs. Brooklyn and will serve the second on Saturday vs. Sacramento.
Lowe’s Latest: Gasol, Bucks, Suns, Pacers, Kings, Sixers, More
With Brook Lopez sidelined indefinitely, the Bucks and center Marc Gasol, who is currently playing for Girona in Spain, had discussed the possibility of a possible late-season deal, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link). However, Lowe suggests that a union “does not appear to be in the cards” now that Milwaukee has acquired Serge Ibaka.
It’s worth noting that the Bucks have three open spots on their 15-man roster following the trade deadline, so there still could be room for Gasol down the road, and it’s not like he and Ibaka haven’t had success teaming up in the past — the two vets played key roles for the 2019 champion Raptors. Still, Milwaukee may be looking to address other positions with those open roster spots, and there’s no guarantee Gasol will look to return to the NBA when his season is over in Spain.
Here are a few more highlights from Lowe’s post-deadline roundup:
- Sources confirmed to Lowe that the Suns and Pacers had brief discussions about Deandre Ayton and Domantas Sabonis, which was first reported by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer suggested the two teams might be exploring the idea of an offseason sign-and-trade involving Ayton, and Lowe agrees that the talks seem to have been just exploratory and informal, possibly aimed at the future rather than present. Indiana subsequently traded Sabonis to Sacramento, which could eliminate the possibility of any future deal with Phoenix for Ayton, but Lowe points out that the Suns’ willingness to consider shaking up their roster – even in the offseason – is noteworthy.
- Before acquiring Sabonis, the Kings approached the Hawks about John Collins, but they didn’t discuss Tyrese Haliburton or De’Aaron Fox in that context, says Lowe.
- Lowe expects the Sixers to explore the buyout market for a backup center, since there’s no guarantee that Paul Millsap will bounce back in Philadelphia and Charles Bassey is unproven.
- The Spurs explored ways to move up in last year’s draft, according to Lowe, who notes that San Antonio has since gained more draft ammo to potentially revisit that idea going forward.
- Lowe contends that Kristaps Porzingis should take his trade to the Wizards “as a huge slap in the face,” given the modest return the Mavericks received. As Lowe writes, Dallas appeared to be trying to gain more flexibility for future moves by taking back two (relatively) smaller contracts for Porzingis’ max deal, which could pay off down the road. But it “seems to be selling unthinkably low” on Porzingis, Lowe says.
Jazz Sign Danuel House For Rest Of Season
The Jazz have re-signed forward Danuel House, the team announced today in a press release. His new deal will cover the remainder of the season, tweets Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.
House previously signed three 10-day deals with Utah, including two standard 10-day pacts. He wasn’t eligible to sign another standard 10-day contract with the Jazz, who in turn aren’t currently permitted to sign a player to a hardship 10-day. As a result, House had to be signed for the rest of the season if the team wanted to bring him back.
House has appeared in seven games with the Jazz this season, averaging 8.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .487/.417/.714 shooting in 19.3 minutes per contest.
The club had reportedly been impressed with the 28-year-old’s ability to contribute on both ends of the court, and was in the market for more help at the forward position after losing Joe Ingles to a season-ending ACL tear.
House, who began the season with the Rockets, was waived in December by Houston and quickly caught on with the Knicks on a 10-day hardship deal. After that deal expired, he signed a series of contracts with Utah, ultimately earning this rest-of-season commitment.
The Jazz came out of Thursday’s trade deadline with two open spots on their 15-man roster, so they won’t have to cut anyone to make room for House. They’ll still be able to add a 15th man at some point.
Celtics Notes: White, Theis, Roster Openings, Pick Swap
Speaking to reporters on Friday about the Celtics‘ deadline-day trade for Derrick White, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the team has thought for years that the longtime Spurs guard would fit with Boston’s best players (Twitter link via Keith Smith of Spotrac). Stevens referred to White as a strong defender who also “makes the right play on offense over and over” (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic).
Confirming a previous report that the acquisition of Daniel Theis came together quickly right before the deadline, Stevens said the Celtics were happy to get two players who will be under contract for multiple years to come (Twitter link via Weiss). Both White and Theis are under team control through 2025.
“Neither move was a short-term deal,” Stevens said (Twitter link via Smith). “When trading away two really good perimeter players, we had to get perfect fits. We want to maintain the stretch we’re on, but this is about the long-term. We know these guys can be on the floor in a seven-game playoff series.”
The Celtics’ series of trades opened up five spots on their 15-man roster, so Stevens will remain busy after the deadline as he looks to fill those openings.
According to Weiss (Twitter link), Stevens expects to sign a couple players as soon as today, telling reporters that the front office is looking for “skilled” players, with an eye on outside shooting. He later said during an appearance on the Toucher and Rich radio show in Boston that his immediate focus is on frontcourt players (Twitter link via Weiss).
Here are a few more notes on the Celtics:
- The 2028 first-round pick swap the Celtics gave the Spurs in the White deal will be top-one protected, sources tell Brian Robb of MassLive.com (Twitter link). In other words, if Boston gets the No. 1 overall pick in ’28, San Antonio won’t be able to swap first-rounders, but otherwise the Spurs will have that option.
- Asked today about the decision to give up a 2028 pick swap in addition to a lightly-protected 2022 first-round pick for White, Stevens acknowledged that risk, but expressed a belief it was worth it. “That can go either way, right? That’s the one you lose sleep over for a couple of days,” Stevens said (Twitter link via Weiss). “But I think the analysis of that is we’ve got some really good players and we’ve got a person who fits in perfectly with them.”
- In a story for The Athletic, Weiss and Jay King assessed the Celtics’ deadline moves. Weiss doesn’t think the deals made Boston a legit title contender in the East, but says the gap between the C’s and the East’s top teams has gotten smaller.
- In his own breakdown of the Celtics’ trades, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston acknowledges there’s no guarantee the roster changes will make the team better right away, but notes that Stevens has proven he’s certainly not risk-averse in his new front office role.
Leftover Deadline Rumors: Raptors, Rockets, Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks
The Raptors considered a series of potential trade scenarios before they agreed to send Goran Dragic and a draft pick to San Antonio for Thaddeus Young, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
According to Grange, Toronto had hoped the Hawks would make Bogdan Bogdanovic available, viewing the veteran wing as someone who could help the team in both the short- and long-term. However, Atlanta didn’t budge on Bogdanovic, forcing the Raptors to look elsewhere.
The Raptors inquired on Pistons forward Jerami Grant and Kings forward Harrison Barnes, sources tell Grange, but the price tags for those players were high. As previously reported, there were also discussions about a three-team deal that would’ve sent Talen Horton-Tucker and Nerlens Noel to Toronto, but Grange suggests those talks never gained serious traction.
Here are a few more leftover rumors on trades that didn’t get made on deadline day:
- The Rockets never made real progress on a John Wall trade with the Lakers, who were unwilling to attach a first-round pick to Russell Westbrook, but a few days before the deadline, Houston got much closer to moving Wall to another team, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. That proposed deal ultimately fell through, per Feigen, who doesn’t specify which team the Rockets were talking to.
- During a TV appearance, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) said one concept that “could have been discussed” by the Rockets and Lakers before the deadline, “depending on who you believe,” was a swap of Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and draft capital for Wall and Christian Wood. It doesn’t sound like those talks, if they even occurred, advanced at all.
- After agreeing to acquire center Jalen Smith from Phoenix, the Pacers explored flipping him to a new team, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Fischer says the Nuggets were among the clubs in the mix for Smith, but Indiana didn’t find a deal it liked and ended up hanging onto the third-year big man.
- The Knicks didn’t make a deal on deadline day, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Sources tell Steve Popper of Newsday that the club was willing to move just about anyone on its roster, but had trouble finding trade partners for many of its top trade candidates, including Kemba Walker and Noel. According to Popper, his sources suggested there was a “universal lack of interest in the Knicks’ talent and contracts.”
Mavericks Notes: Dragic, Porzingis, Bertans, Dinwiddie
Asked on Thursday night whether the Mavericks will go shopping on the buyout market, general manager Nico Harrison said he believes the team’s roster is “set,” as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets.
Dallas has long been viewed as a potential landing spot for buyout candidate Goran Dragic, but the team’s acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie and Harrison’s post-deadline comments suggest a pursuit of the Slovenian may no longer be in the cards, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), Dragic and the Spurs may take a little time to negotiate a buyout agreement. If and when the veteran point guard becomes available, he’ll likely have suitors who are able to offer him a more significant role than Dallas, Stein notes.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explained that his team was willing to trade Kristaps Porzingis to Washington on Thursday because the deal helped address two weak spots on the roster, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “I think KP’s an incredible talent. But we needed that shooter [Davis Bertans] and we needed another ball handler [Dinwiddie] who could create a shot, and unfortunately that was the only way we were going to get them,” Cuban said. “It was that simple — getting two guys who fill roles that we really needed, and the fact that we have played OK without KP. But I think that doesn’t take anything away from KP being a great talent, and I actually think he’s going to be better with the Wizards than he was with us.”
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic described the Porzingis trade as “shocking,” but stressed that he trusts the front office to do what’s best for the team, writes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Obviously, we’re going to miss KP,” Doncic said. “We were building something great here. It didn’t obviously work out. I wish him the best, and we’ve got two new guys who are welcome. Bertans is a great shooter. Dinwiddie can put the ball on the floor and he can score. The NBA is a business.”
- In case you missed it, the Mavericks are set to officially lock up Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year contract extension. Multiple reports have pegged the value of Finney-Smith’s new deal at $52MM, while others have said it’ll be worth $55MM. If the extension includes incentives, there would be a difference between the base value and the maximum value, which could explain the discrepancy between those reported figures.
Bucks’ Connaughton To Miss Time With Broken Bone In Right Hand
Bucks wing Pat Connaughton has sustained a fracture to the fourth metacarpal (ring finger) of his right hand, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The injury occurred during the third quarter of Thursday’s loss to Phoenix as Connaughton defended a Chris Paul drive (video link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).
The Bucks haven’t set a timeline for how much time Connaughton might need to recover from the injury, but postgame comments from head coach Mike Budenholzer and teammate Khris Middleton suggested the club is preparing to be without the 29-year-old for the foreseeable future.
“We’re trying to figure out kind of who will see him next, what the next step is,” Budenholzer said, per Owczarski. “Unfortunate, but I think we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to return. When that is, not exactly sure. But, so, we’ll see.”
“Very unfortunate, man,” Middleton said. “He’s one of our bigger guys, especially off the bench. He plays a huge and key role for us, coming in the starting lineup every now and then, just being that glue guy for us on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be tough without him for a while, but hopefully he can get back sooner than later.”
Connaughton had been in the midst of a career year, having averaged 10.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .467/.407/.811 shooting in 54 games (27.0 MPG) this season for the defending champions.
The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate for the Bucks, who traded away some of their wing depth on Thursday, sending Donte DiVincenzo to Sacramento and Rodney Hood to the Clippers in a four-team deal that brought Serge Ibaka to Milwaukee.
With DiVincenzo and Hood no longer options, reserves like Wesley Matthews and Jordan Nwora could be in line for increased roles until Connaughton is able to return. The Bucks also have two open spots on their 15-man roster (three once Greg Monroe‘s 10-day contract expires) and will likely be active on the buyout market.
2022 NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The 2022 NBA trade deadline wasn’t as eventful as some previous deadlines – including last year’s – in terms of total deals made. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find many past deadlines that featured as many blockbuster trades as this year’s did.
While the Nets and Sixers stole the show by agreeing to a deal that sent James Harden and Ben Simmons to new teams, there were a slew of other noteworthy trades during the days leading up to the February 10 deadline, and on deadline day itself.
In total, 10 trades involving 33 NBA players (plus two more draft-and-stash players) were made on Thursday. Another six trades involving 24 different players (including two who were moved twice) were completed during the week before deadline day.
Here’s a recap all of 2022’s deadline deals:
Trades made on deadline day:
The Nets and Sixers complete the trade of the year (story)
- Sixers acquire James Harden and Paul Millsap.
- Nets acquire Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, the Sixers’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), and the Sixers’ 2027 first-round pick (top-eight protected).
- Note: The Nets reportedly have the option to defer the 2022 first-round pick to 2023.
The Mavericks cash out on Kristaps Porzingis (story)
- Wizards acquire Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavericks’ 2022 second-round pick (top-45 protected).
- Mavericks acquire Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
The Celtics secure a potential long-term answer at point guard (story)
- Celtics acquire Derrick White.
- Spurs acquire Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, the Celtics’ 2022 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the right to swap 2028 first-round picks with the Celtics (top-one protected).
The Celtics reacquire their former starting center (story)
- Celtics acquire Daniel Theis.
- Rockets acquire Dennis Schröder, Bruno Fernando, and Enes Freedom.
The Kings, Pistons, Clippers, and Bucks complete the season’s only four-team trade (story)
- Kings acquire Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles, and the draft rights to David Michineau.
- Pistons acquire Marvin Bagley III.
- Clippers acquire Rodney Hood, Semi Ojeleye, and the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic.
- Bucks acquire Serge Ibaka, either the Warriors’ or Cavaliers’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable; from Pistons), the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick (from Pistons), and cash (from Clippers).
The Hornets make an upgrade at center (story)
- Hornets acquire Montrezl Harrell.
- Wizards acquire Ish Smith, Vernon Carey, and the Celtics’ 2023 second-round pick (top-45 protected).
The Raptors find a taker for Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract (story)
- Raptors acquire Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks, and either the Pistons’ or Bulls’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
- Spurs acquire Goran Dragic and the Raptors’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
The Suns reacquire a wing defender (story)
- Suns acquire Torrey Craig.
- Pacers acquire Jalen Smith and the Suns’ 2022 second-round pick.
The Suns add more backcourt depth (story)
- Suns acquire Aaron Holiday.
- Wizards acquire cash.
The Celtics sneak below the luxury tax line (story)
- Magic acquire Bol Bol, PJ Dozier, the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected), and cash.
- Celtics acquire the Magic’s 2023 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Notable trade candidates who stayed put:
Jerami Grant, Pistons (story)- Myles Turner, Pacers
- John Collins, Hawks
- Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes, Kings
- Talen Horton-Tucker and Russell Westbrook, Lakers
- Eric Gordon and John Wall, Rockets
- Kemba Walker and Alec Burks, Knicks
- Terrence Ross and Gary Harris, Magic
Players waived on deadline day:
- D.J. Augustin, Rockets (story)
- DeAndre’ Bembry, Nets (story)
- Armoni Brooks, Rockets (story)
- Moses Brown, Mavericks (story)
- Michael Carter-Williams, Magic (story) *
- PJ Dozier, Magic (story) *
- Drew Eubanks, Raptors (story)
- E’Twaun Moore, Magic (story) *
- Abdel Nader, Suns (story) *
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, Kings (story)
- Robert Woodard, Kings (story)
Note: Players marked with an asterisk (*) have been sidelined with long-term injuries.
Note: Enes Freedom is also reportedly being waived by the Rockets, but it hasn’t officially happened yet.
Trades made in the week leading up to the deadline:
The Pacers swap a two-time All-Star for a possible future All-Star (story)
- Kings acquire Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and the Pacers’ 2023 second-round pick (56-60 protected).
- Pacers acquire Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
The Trail Blazers kick off their retooling process (story)
- Clippers acquire Norman Powell and Robert Covington.
- Trail Blazers acquire Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and the Pistons’ 2025 second-round pick.
The Trail Blazers bid farewell to a longtime backcourt fixture (story)
- Pelicans acquire CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell.
- Trail Blazers acquire Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick (top-four protected and 15-30 protected), either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), and the Pelicans’ 2027 second-round pick.
- Note: The Pelicans had previously acquired the Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick.
The Trail Blazers’ retooling continues; the Jazz take a low-risk gamble (story)
- Jazz acquire Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Juan Hernangomez.
- Spurs acquire Tomas Satoransky and either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Pacers’, or Heat’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Jazz).
- Trail Blazers acquire Joe Ingles, Elijah Hughes, and the Grizzlies’ 2022 second-round pick (from Jazz).
The Cavaliers shore up their wing depth (story)
- Cavaliers acquire Caris LeVert and the Heat’s 2022 second-round pick.
- Pacers acquire Ricky Rubio, the Cavaliers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), the Rockets’ 2022 second-round pick, and the Jazz’s 2027 second-round pick.
The Heat and Thunder complete a minor move (story)
- Thunder acquire KZ Okpala and amended terms of a first-round pick owed to them by the Heat.
- Heat acquire either the Thunder’s, Mavericks’, or Sixers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Note: The Heat previously owed the Thunder their 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected). They now owe their 2025 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
Lakers Sought Trades With Knicks, Raptors, Celtics
Rival executives tried to take advantage of the Lakers’ predicament, which ultimately led to VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka standing pat at the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram.
Other teams wanted the Lakers to take on bad contracts or give up their limited draft capital, including their 2027 first round pick, to facilitate potential deals, according to Oram.
The Lakers were unable to gain any traction on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. They tried to put together some lower-level deals, including a proposed three-way trade with the Knicks and Raptors. Toronto big men Khem Birch and Chris Boucher and Knicks wing Cam Reddish could have been on the move, but those fell apart after the other two teams couldn’t agree on draft compensation.
The Lakers also mulled a possible reunion with Dennis Schröder, though there was some pushback from some members of the organization. The Lakers still pursued a deal with the Celtics but Boston’s high asking price ended those negotiations. The Celtics wound up trading Schröder to Houston.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were consulted on potential trades and understood why Pelinka chose to stand pat, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“You can’t force another team to present yourself with a deal that is going to make your team be better. That’s up to them,” Pelinka said. “And throughout this process we had different things we looked at and like I’ve done in the past had conversations with LeBron and Anthony about it and I would say there’s alignment here. And that’s all that matters.”
The Lakers will monitor the buyout market but would have to waive a player since their roster is full.
Celtics Trade Richardson, Langford, First-Round Pick To Spurs For Derrick White
10:11pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Celtics. White heads to Boston, while the Spurs acquire Richardson, Langford, the Celtics’ 2022 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the conditional right to swap first-round picks with Boston in 2028.
12:40pm: The Celtics are trading Josh Richardson to the Spurs in a deal for Derrick White, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that the Celtics are including a first-round pick in the trade. That pick will be Boston’s top-four protected 2022 first-rounder, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Himmelsbach tweets that Romeo Langford will also be headed to San Antonio. In addition, the Spurs will have the ability swap 2028 first-round picks with Boston, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
White, now in his fifth season, is averaging 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.9 BPG through 49 games (30.3 MPG). The 27-year-old is also one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders. White’s big weakness is an inconsistent outside shot, shooting just 31.4% from three-point range.
However, he’s a good finisher inside the arc, making 51.9% of his two-pointers and 86.9% of his free throws, both very respectable for a guard. He’s also a heady passer and driver on top of being a premier defender. White’s addition further bolster’s Boston’s third-ranked defense, and the team will become an absolute menace on that end of the court.
White makes $15.2MM this season and is under contract through 2024/25, making him a potentially long-term addition as president Brad Stevens builds the roster around stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston currently sits at 30-25 after winning six straight, No. 7 in the East.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, the Celtics plan to absorb White’s contract into their Evan Fournier traded player exception, which is worth $17.1MM. Doing so will create a new TPE worth $11.2MM for Richardson. Smith notes that could change, pending other moves, but that’s the plan for now. John Hollinger of The Athletic first reported that creating a new TPE for Richardson was a possibility (via Twitter).
San Antonio obtains a stunning array of assets for White. I value him highly and think the Celtics have improved significantly in the short-term, but they gave up an awful lot to get him. The first-round pick this season is almost certain to convey, and depending on how the rest of this season plays out, there’s even a chance it could be a late lottery pick, although Boston has played outstanding basketball since the start of January. The 2028 pick swap could also be very valuable, but that’s far down the line and foolish to speculate about at this juncture.
Richardson, 28, was in his first season with Boston after being acquired via trade in the offseason. The 40th overall pick of the 2015 draft by Miami, Richardson had been a valuable two-way contributor for the Heat before being traded multiple times the past few years, spending the 2019/20 season with the Sixers and last season with the Mavs. He’d been a bit disappointing for both of those clubs, but is performing well this season, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .443/.397/.859 shooting in a reserve role (44 games, 24.7 MPG).
San Antonio also gets a buy-low candidate in Langford, the 14th overall pick of the 2019 draft. Still just 22, Langford was a highly touted prospect who struggled to break Boston’s rotation. Now in his third season, he’s averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG through 44 games (16.5 MPG). As a third-year former first-round pick, Langford is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Spurs take a wait-and-see approach, as they’d still hold his rights as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023.