Josh Richardson's quality play for the Boston Celtics has turned him into a coveted trade asset.
The veteran Celtics wing has drawn interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, Mass Live's Brian Robb reported Tuesday.
While Richardson has been linked to both the Wolves and Jazz in recent weeks, the Lakers appear to be a new suitor. Los Angeles has offered Boston 21-year-old shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker and a "future pick" for Richardson, per Robb.
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Meanwhile, the Wolves recently rejected the Celtics' proposal of Richardson and either Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith in return for wing Malik Beasley but have resumed talks with Boston about a Richardson-Beasley deal, The Athletic's Jared Weiss reports.
It's unclear what the Jazz want in return for Richardson, but Utah is seeking a replacement for Joe Ingles after the veteran wing suffered a torn ACL.
Horton-Tucker is a polarizing player. He's enduring his worst shooting season as a pro (40.6% from the floor; 25.0% from three), which doesn't bode well for a Celtics team in need of a shooter. The 2019 second-round pick is still averaging 9.5 points per game, though, and has already outperformed his draft position in his third NBA season.
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Beasley is much more established and averaged a career-high 19.6 points per game last season while hitting 40% of his 3-pointers. The 25-year-old is having a down year in Minnesota, though, with 12.3 points per contest on 37.8% shooting overall.
Beasley is making more this season ($14.5 million) than Richardson ($11.6 million), so if Boston wants to cut salary to dip below the luxury tax, it would need to seek a larger deal with Minnesota. Taking on Horton-Tucker's $9.5 million cap hit in a Richardson deal would help the C's save, however, so perhaps Brad Stevens will consider a deal with Boston's longtime rival before Thursday.