The Boston Celtics eyed a reunion with Josh Richardson before he joined another former team.
Richardson signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Miami Heat when free agency opened Friday. Per Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves also expressed interest in the perimeter player.
Josh Richardson also drew interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, league sources told @hoopshype. The Miami Heat’s Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra called to recruit Richardson to Miami.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 1, 2023
Richardson averaged 9.7 points in 44 games with the Celtics during the 2021-22 season. The 29-year-old registered 10.1 points on a 43.1 field-goal percentage for the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans last season.
Instead of going back to Boston, Richardson returned to where he started his career.
The former second-round pick spent his first four seasons in Miami, scoring a career-high 16.6 points per game in 2018-19 before getting sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-team trade for Jimmy Butler. He’ll now play alongside Butler for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
If history repeats, Richardson could face Boston deep into the postseason.