Why the San Antonio Spurs could say yes:
As mentioned on the previous slide, Josh Richardson’s trade value has gone down over the last two years and there are not going to be teams lining up to secure his services this offseason. While there could be some interest, based on his contract, the Spurs are not going to get much better than THT.
Another contender can either package two mediocre role players that have smaller contacts for Richardson or would send another role player of similar value to Richardson (but worse) with a second-round pick. Richardson is not going to warrant a first-round pick and it is hard to find young players to swap him for with his salary.
That is why THT is the perfect trade asset to use to try and trade for him. The Spurs really have no reason to hang onto Richardson, the team is not in a spot to contend next season and it is not like Richardson alone is going to change their fate.
Instead of one year of Richardson, the Spurs can take on THT for the next two years (he has a player option after next season that he likely will accept) looking to blossom THT into the player that he can potentially be.
If the Spurs can get over the idea that they don’t want to help their rivaled Lakers (Gregg Popovich not being there anymore helps) then they would realize this trade is better for the long-term prospects of the team, even if THT does not fully pan out.