Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Trade Josh Richardson, Protected 2022 first-round pick, Romeo Langford to Spurs for Derrick White
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Celtics are trading Josh Richardson to the San Antonio Spurs for Derrick White.
Along with Richardson, Boston is trading Romeo Langford and its 2022 first-round pick, protected 1-4, to San Antonio, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, respectively.
According to Lowe, the Spurs will also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Celtics in 2028. That pick is top-1 protected.
Frankly, Inside The Celtics is down on this deal. Richardson is a career 36.1 percent three-point shooter. White converts his long-range attempts at a 34.4 percent clip. Richardson is knocking down 39.7 percent of his 3.5 attempts from beyond the arc this season. White is connecting on just 31.4 percent of the 5.3 threes he's hoisting.
While the difference in volume is noteworthy, since White began taking more than 2.1 threes per game in 2019-20, his third year in the league, he's yet to shoot better than 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.
White's a better creator than Richardson, evidenced by his 5.6 assists per game compared to the latter's 1.5. But Richardson is a superior defender than the former.
In total, White is averaging 14.4 points per game while making 42.6 percent of his shots 11.6 shots from the field, and he's grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game in 30.3 minutes of floor time.
Richardson is producing 9.7 points on 7.8 field goal attempts, making them at a 44.3 percent rate, and he's generating 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 24.7 minutes per contest.
There's also the difference in their contracts. Richardson is on a team-friendly deal, earning $11.6 million this season and $12.2 million in 2022-23, per Spotrac. Conversely, White is on a four-year, $70 million contract. This season, he's making $15.2 million, and his cap figure rises in each of the next three years, climbing to $18.8 million in 2024-25.
According to Keith Smith of CelticsBlog, Boston will take White into the $17.1 million trade exception created in the sign-and-trade that sent Evan Fournier to the Knicks. If the Celtics go that route, they'll gain a trade exception the size of Richardson's salary this season, which is $11.6 million.
Having to throw in their 2022 first-round pick, which it's safe to bet will not fall into the top four, makes the deal appear that much worse. Romeo Langford didn't have much trade value, but seemingly giving him away compounds that. Giving the Spurs the right to swap picks in 2028, unless Boston gets the No. 1 selection, is the riskiest part of all.
Of course, this is an instant analysis of the trade. What matters most is how everyone involved performs going forward and what that draft pick becomes.
Further Reading
Celtics Trade Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier to Magic in Cost-Cutting Move
Celtics Reportedly Express Interest in Acquiring Malik Beasley
Are the Celtics Shifting Their Approach to the Trade Deadline?
The Case for the Celtics Trading for Jerami Grant
Two Teams Reportedly Have Offers Out for Celtics' Dennis Schroder
