Dallas Mavericks: Josh Richardson leaves Dallas with a dilemma

Dallas Mavericks trade for Josh Richardson: A postmortem

Seth Curry is currently enjoying his best season since the two he spent as a Maverick. As of May 8, he’s averaging 28.8 minutes and 12.5 points per game on 44.0 percent from 3-point range. His shot attempts and assists numbers have increased in Philadelphia as well. Curry has turned into a valuable rotation piece that has high value for playoff contenders. The trade is history, it happened, and both teams have moved on.

On the other hand, Richardson’s 12.3 points and 2.7 assists per game are all his lowest season averages since 2016-17. He is also shooting a career-low 32.9 percent from 3-point range. That isn’t to say season averages make or break a season for a player. However, it indicates a reduced role, and that’s concerning when it comes to Richardson.

The Mavs brought JRich in with the touted promise of adding defensive help, but it has puzzled many fans as to why he rarely defends the best player on the opposing team. The Mavericks traded their best scorer outside of Doncic and Porzingis for a defensive guard who isn’t given a dubious task of defending.

It’s unfair to harp on teams “winning” or “losing” trades. They are risks in nature. Every team has benefited and suffered at the hands of them, but questions arise when a player doesn’t fulfill the role he was brought in to supply.

Next: The emergence of Green