Bulls Rumors: Ranking the likelihood of 5 recent trade proposals
Rating the likelihood of Bulls rumors: Josh Richardson
I must admit, Josh Richardson does not carry the same weight as some of the other players on this list, but he does specifically address the reported Bulls front office search for a defensively-minded wing off the bench.
In fact, this same premise has been used time and time again to sell to teams interested in Richardson. He can shoot threes! He can play defense! He must be worth his weight in gold, right?
The truth of the matter is the idea of Richardson is more attractive than the actual Richardson, but that does not mean he is not still a competent NBA player. In fact, I believe he is one of the best buy-low trade candidates the Bulls could target in the entire NBA right now.
Richardson is currently chipping in a handful of threes on 40.5 percent shooting off the bench in Boston, as well as playing his typical brand of solid-but-not-great brand of defense. When you look at the rest of Chicago’s reserve unit, this is the exact type of player the Bulls are looking for.
Caruso’s shots are not falling thus far, but he’s making up for it in other ways. Coby is taking his sweet time re-acclimating to the NBA. Ayo, Javonte, and Jones Jr. can all hit the occasional shot but none of these players take a high enough volume of shots to be considered snipers. In fact, Troy Brown Jr. was acquired for this very reason at last year’s trade deadline to fill this very same role.
Obviously, if Karnisovas could turn the clocks back, he’d likely look to hold on to Daniel Gafford instead as Brown Jr. has been outplayed by others in the rotation. Nevertheless, the need for a bench player that can actually execute on offense is still there, and few players fit that role than Richardson on the struggling Celtics.