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Josh Richardson has reportedly agreed to a one-year extension with his team Boston Celtics. According to journalist Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, both the parties involved have finalised the contract and the basketball star is set to receive $24 million over the next two seasons as salary. Charania also explained how Richardson had earlier opted in to the 2021-22 campaign before the Celtics announced in July that they acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange of Moses Brown.
Notably, the forthcoming NBA season is set to be the 27-year-old's seventh in the NBA after he enjoyed his first six years with the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Mavericks. While he was with the Heat for four long seasons, he spent a year each with the other two teams.
Richardson averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game last season
Richardson is a solid secondary scorer and averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game last season for the Mavericks. This is despite the fact that he converted his career-worst 33.0 percent of his three-pointers. As far as Boston is concerned, they will surely want to see him improve from beyond the arc, especially if he is playing alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He can also stop the opposition defenses from collapsing on the two stars by hitting from way outside.
The duo of Richardson, Smart can pose tough challenges for opponents
Richardson is likely to anchor the second unit and is capable and versatile enough to defend the multiple positions. As per the data on NBA's official website, opponents shot 2.0 percent worse overall and 7.6 percent worse within 10 feet of the basket than their normal averages when he defended them in the previous season. Adding that kind of defense with Marcus Smart's ability is almost guaranteeing a difficult challenge for the opposition attackers for several seasons. This is confirmed after even Smart has earlier agreed to sign an extension with Boston Celtics.
While Richardson will stay put for one more season, Smart is contracted through to the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, Richardson's first regular-season game with the Celtics is slated on October 20 against the New York Knicks.
