3. Doug McDermott
Take everything we just wrote about the San Antonio Spurs and wanting to trade role players and copy and paste it on this slide. All of the same things still obviously apply as the other role player that the Spurs could move is Doug McDermott.
Quite frankly, the Spurs would probably want to move McDermott before Richardson as well. McDermott is under contract for another season and it would be in the team’s best interest to get that money off the books or transfer that money to a younger player like THT that can grow.
Trading Richardson for THT only adds more money to the books next season. While the Spurs are not going to be spenders in the slightest, a small-market team is obviously going to try and save money wherever it can.
McDermott would certainly be the worse choice for the Lakers as well and not just because of his contract. While he has been a more consistent three-point shooter than Richardson, McDermott has been a pretty poor defender throughout his career and would be someone that other teams can attack on the wing.
However, beggars cannot be choosers and if the Lakers are desperate for three-point shooting they are just going to have to bite the bullet and take what they can get. If that is McDermott with his 40.9% career three-point rate then so be it.