Sixers trade Josh Richardson to Mavericks, pick up Seth Curry

Daryl Morey made an immediate impact in his first draft night as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations.

After trading Al Horford to the Thunder and acquiring Danny Green early in the evening, Morey did another deal, this one with the Mavericks. The Sixers are sending Josh Richardson and the 36th pick to Dallas and picking up Seth Curry, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news, which the team officially announced Thursday morning.

Like Green, Curry’s best skill is his shooting. He’s a 44.3 percent shooter from long distance in his career, and he’s also a capable ball handler. The 30-year-old Curry is under contract for the next three seasons at $7.8 million, $8.2 million and $8.5 million, respectively. His father-in-law is Sixers head coach Doc Rivers.

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"Getting Seth — you could argue for him as the best shooter in the NBA — was just really exciting," Morey said early Thursday morning.

Richardson had positive moments after being acquired last offseason from the Heat in the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade, but he did not fit especially well in his first and only year with the Sixers.

He missed open threes at a higher rate than usual, wasn’t as effective facilitating off his drives and dealt with multiple injuries. With Richardson possessing a player option for $11.6 million in 2021-22, it always seemed possible that the Sixers would find a way to move him. The 27-year-old Richardson is certainly a superior defender to Curry, but the Sixers should feel good about their defensive talent around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Earlier in his busy night, Morey picked up Kentucky combo guard Tyrese Maxey with the 21st pick in the draft. In the second round, the Sixers took Arkansas shooting guard Isaiah Joe and DePaul power forward Paul Reed.