Philadelphia 76ers: Zhaire Smith could make Josh Richardson expendable

Philadelphia 76ers young wing Zhaire Smith could make Josh Richardson expendable in the future if he reaches his potential.

The loss of Jimmy Butler this summer will surely be felt during this upcoming season at some point for the Philadelphia 76ers. Luckily for the franchise, they didn’t lose Butler for nothing and were able to get a quality two-way wing in Josh Richardson. However, Richardson may only be a stop gap on the perimeter rather than a long-term piece to the franchise.

Despite being an upper tier two-way player who is coming off a season where he averaged a career high 16.6 points and entering his prime at 25-years-old, Richardson’s future with the Sixers is in question. This has nothing to do with him and has more to do with Zhaire Smith.

The 76ers traded for Smith’s draft rights back in the 2018 NBA Draft and the small sample size of his play has shown a high level of potential. In six games last season, the high flying defensive slasher averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line.

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Smith is still a very raw talent who is still learning the game. His athleticism and ability to grow at the age of 20-years-old, makes his potential much higher than Richardson’s. Richardson has either reached or close to reaching his full potential. He is a great starter, but doesn’t seem to have All-Star potential. Smith could become an All-Star caliber player, if he reaches his potential.

Let it be clear, it’s doubtful that the team moves on from Richardson this upcoming season. Smith is still very raw and needs to develop coming off the bench first before becoming a starter. However, if Smith shows signs of being ready to become a starter before or in the 2020-21 season, then the Sixers could look to move Richardson.

This isn’t only because they may want to insert Smith into the starting five, but it may also be due to financial reasons. The duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will cost the Sixers a fortune moving forward and that’s not including Al Horford‘s contract. Richardson is on a reasonable deal right now that will pay him $10.1 million this season and $10.8 mllion the following. That’s not including the player option he has for the 2021-22 season.

The Sixers could potentially only have Richardson for the next two seasons before he could leave in free agency. Smith has three more seasons before he could becomes restricted free agent. That means the team has a strong case of keeping him even if he reaches restricted free agency.

It may become financially prudent for Sixers general manager Elton Brand to move Richardson for traded compensation before he could potentially leave for nothing in the summer of 2021. However, this can only be an option if Smith proves to be just as good if not better Richardson at some point before or during the 2020-21 season.

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For the moment, Richardson is set to be an important part of the Philadelphia 76ers title run this season. However, with the potential that Smith has and little salary cap space the team has free moving forward, Richardson’s future with the club should be in doubt.