The Tobias Harris/Boban Marjanovic trade has been the talk of Wednesday so far, but GM Elton Brand wasn't finished working the phones, sending cash to Toronto for third-year shooting guard Malachi Richardson, the Raptors' 2022 second-round pick and the draft rights to Turkish pro Emir Preldzic.
While many (including myself) were busy believing the Sixers figured to be more active during the NBA’s buyout period later this month rather than ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, GM Elton Brand was negotiating a surprise deal with the Clippers to bring in a sizable upgrade at power forward and a veteran big to back up star Joel Embiid. The Tobias Harris/Boban Marjanovic trade has been the talk of Wednesday so far, but Brand wasn’t finished working the phones, sending cash to Toronto for third-year shooting guard Malachi Richardson, the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick and the draft rights to Turkish pro Emir Preldzic.
So who is Malachi Richardson and what does this all mean for the Sixers moving forward?
College basketball fans might recall Richardson’s brief stint at Syracuse University in 2015-16, when as a freshman he helped guide the Orange to an improbable run to the Final Four. Richardson is a native of Trenton and attended Trenton Catholic Academy before Syracuse, where he averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in his lone collegiate season.
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After foregoing his final three years of eligibility, Richardson was drafted in 2016 as the No. 22 overall pick. Originally selected by Charlotte, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings and played less than 25 games as a rookie before suffering a partial hamstring tear. Injuries have plagued Richardson’s NBA career, and to date he’s only appeared in 70 total games over the course of three seasons. Buried on Toronto’s depth chart, the 23-year-old is averaging 1.4 points and 0.6 rebounds in 22 games this year.
The 6’6” Richardson is young and still could have some upside, so the Sixers will likely give him a shot to carve out a role on the bench before exploring other options. With Landry Shamet heading to Los Angeles and Shake Milton breaking his finger on Tuesday (as well as the continued absence of Zhaire Smith and Markelle Fultz), Philadelphia is pretty thin at guard at the moment so it makes sense to see what Richardson might have to offer before the buyout market heats up.
Joe Trinacria covers the Sixers for NJ.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jtrinacria.