The Boston Celtics have been one of the most active teams throughout the 2021 offseason and that trend continued early this week as swingman Josh Richardson agreed to sign a one-year extension with the Celtics that will pay him $24 million over the next two season, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
Richardson was originally due $11.6 million on the remaining season of his contract.
When looking at Boston’s roster, the presence of Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart (who also recently agreed to an extension), Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford makes it clear that Richardson won’t be guaranteed on minutes on the wing. While Brown and Smart are mainstays, valued for their seismic contributions to the Celtics’ offense and defense, Nesmith and Langford are two promising wings who started to come on strong for Boston late last season and continued to shine in Summer League play.
Meanwhile, Richardson is coming off of a tough two-year stretch offensively that’s seen him playing for a new team each season. His veteran experience, gritty mindset and defensive ability remains unquestioned but his consistency as an outside shooter (33.5 percent shooting from 3-point range over the past two seasons) has been.
For the Celtics, who failed to bring back sharpshooter Evan Fournier this offseason (as he signed with the New York Knicks), the wing who shoots the best could become the most valuable player they have off the bench. Particularly if they have the length and defensive chops to defend multiple positions, as Richardson does.
Viewed from that lens, should Boston feel comfortable with Richardson’s 3-point shooting, locking a player with his potential impact in for an additional season should seen as a shrewd move.
