It seems that the big trade between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors wasn’t about getting players for the Raptors, but simply dumping one big, bad contract from their payroll, as Quentin Richardson is the next player from that deal who probably won’t be playing in Canada next season.
In the case of Richardson, it’s more about the team not wanting him on the roster. Richardson played only one game last season for the Knicks, and has three more years left on his contract worth $5.6 million. In true Q-Rich fashion, during his only game last season he took 11 shots (making only one of them) and it doesn’t seem the Raptors are interested in having a shoot first, second and third player on their roster, even at the smallest of roles.
Unlike Marcus Camby, who wanted to play for a contender, Richardson doesn’t mind playing with any team still willing to give him some minutes, but considering his ability over the last three seasons (Averaging less than 5 points per game) and his age (turned 33 last April), there isn’t a lot of demand for him around the NBA. The Raptors will first try to trade him, but it doesn’t seem likely anyone will take his three-year deal on.
With Richardson most likely gone, it leaves Steve Novak as the only player from the deal between the Raptors and the Knicks for Andrea Bargnani who will actually be playing for the Raptors next season.
The change in general manager was about reversing all the bad deals the Raptors have made over the last few years, and getting rid of Bargnani while landing a 2016 first-round pick and second-round picks in 2014 and 2017 was the first order of business. The players? They were just cap-fillers, but the Raptors really don’t need Richardson, who doesn’t seem like someone with a place in the NBA anymore.