Boston Celtics Rumors: 2 players the team could sell high at the deadline

Boston Celtics sell high candidate No. 2: Josh Richardson

Josh Richardson‘s time with the Celtics got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he has quietly turned into a really solid contributor off the bench for Boston this season. Richardson has really come on as of late though, and he’s scored at least 10 points off the bench in five of the Celtics last six games. Teams have certainly taken notice, and Richardson has quickly become a potential trade target for a number of teams.

In reality, Richardson is what the Celtics (and a number of other teams around the league) want and need. He’s a solid wing defender who can come off the bench and score. He’s only scoring 10.1 points per game this season, but his shooting splits (45.5 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three) are both among the best of his career, showing that a potential uptick in his shooting volume could see that scoring average increase.

The performance that really turned heads for Richardson was his 23 point outing against the Charlotte Hornets. He shot 8/12 from the field (6/8 from three) and was the Celtics most consistent scorer on the night. Without him, they don’t win that game, and that’s the type of contribution teams are going to be looking for from their bench as they gear up for the postseason.

The problem with Richardson is that the Celtics have a bunch of young wings that they really don’t know what to do with, and he is blocking their path to minutes. Boston could conceivably move Richardson while his value is high and potentially get a package they didn’t initially think was attainable for him and see if young guys like Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith can develop into anything with the added playing time.

Richardson is just what the C’s need, so in terms of on court production, it wouldn’t make much sense to move him aside from the fact that the team could find out what they have in Langford and Nesmith. But Richardson’s recent play could force a team looking for some bench help to make Stevens an offer he cannot refuse. It may take a pretty sizeable offer considering how good Richardson has been recently, but the Celtics could be tempted into dealing the veteran wing.