Philadelphia 76ers: Future outlook of Josh Richardson in Philadelphia

Josh Richardson should have a bright future with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Just because Josh Richardson is a downgrade from Jimmy Butler, the player he was traded for in the last offseason, doesn’t mean he can’t have a bright future with the Philadelphia 76ers. Unless he’s traded, he should have a long future in Philly.

Richardson hasn’t had his best season with the 76ers. Head coach Brett Brown has tried to play him at the backup point guard position which hasn’t had the best results. He’s also battled some injuries as well.

This season he’s averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 turnovers (career-high), while converting 32.7 percent of his 3-pointers (career-low). After playing with the Miami Heat for his first four seasons, transitioning to a new team has appeared to take a toll on his production.

Richardson’s future

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There’s still hope for Richardson. Despite his decline this season, his’ still prove over his career to be a solid 2-way player with range. Once Brown figures out the starting lineup’s spacing issues and how Richardson fits in it, the wing should be able to bounce back from this bad season.

Richardson is also under contract for next season for $10.8 million and has a player option for $11.6 million the following year. In the best-case scenario, the Sixers would work out a new deal with the wing so he can stay long-term.

However, this is where the doubt about his future comes in. If Philly can’t figure a new deal with the shooting guard or they need to move another player (like say Al Horford) then Richardson might be dealt as a solution to those two potentials issues. Hopefully, neither of those situations comes to fruition and the Sixers keep the wing.

Richardson isn’t a star by any standard, but he’s a solid rotational player that the Philadelphia 76ers should want to keep if possible.