Boston Celtics: 2 midseason departures that paved way to Finals berth

Former Boston Celtics player No. 1) Josh Richardson

Acquired in the offseason leading up to 2021-22 via trade with the Mavericks, Josh Richardson quickly became a fan favorite amongst the Boston Celtics faithful, as he displayed consistently solid two-way play and was easily one of the team’s most reliable 3-point shooting assets throughout his run with the organization.

After two somewhat underwhelming seasons serving as a full-time starter with the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas, respectively, it seemed as though the wing wound up relishing his reserve role with the shamrocks, as he went on to post highly-efficient averages of 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and just shy of a block per 75 possessions whilst shooting 44 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep.

In the days leading up to February 10th’s trade deadline, his status as a full-season stay was constantly being brought into question, with reports surfacing left and right discussing how his contract (saw a salary of $11.6 million for 2021-22 and $12.9 million for 2022-23), coupled with the C’s desire to avoid the dreaded luxury tax, could force the team’s hand in their decision to part ways with the veteran.

During his final few outings, Richardson seemed to be unphased by the outside chatter, as he averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 boards, and just shy of a block on 47 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from deep in an eight-game stretch between January 25th to February 8th.

They would go on to win all but one of these contests, thus showing the early stages of their midseason turnaround, and JRich, himself, saw himself having quite an impact on each one of their victories, even singlehandedly leading the Celtics to a triumphant win over the Charlotte Hornets, where he dropped a whopping 23 points on 75 percent shooting from distance.

To some, these showings were signs that the organization should look to keep him in tow moving forward, as he was proving to be a trusty commodity within the rotation and could serve as a solid replacement out on the wing for when either one of Tatum or Brown needed to rest.

However, to the front office, his production only strengthened their case to trade him away, for his stock was reaching considerable highs as they were looking to address other areas of their team that needed bolstering and, on the day of the deadline, Stevens opted to cash in by shipping him, Romeo Langford (**an honorable mention**), and a first-round pick to the Spurs for a player by the name of Derrick White who, as you all know, has been absolutely studly during the majority of Boston’s playoff run.

Heck, we at HH have argued that, without D. White in the final few games of the Eastern Conference Finals (15.6 points, four assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and just shy of a block on 43 percent shooting from deep through the last five games while taking on a major role in the rotation due to Marcus Smart’s injury), the Celtics wouldn’t have been able to advance.

Because of this, we must give thanks to Josh Richardson, for, without him and his constantly improving play as the year went on, perhaps it may not have been possible for the team to have made this specific trade with San Antonio in the first place.