Jason Richardson On Short List of Free Agent Guards Who Would Help Boston Celtics

by Ben Watanabe on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 11:37AM

It's a longshot, for salary cap reasons, but the Boston Celtics and free agent shooting guard Jason Richardson could be a mutually beneficial match.

Richardson has said he wants to play for a contender in what is likely to be the last big contract for the 30-year-old out of Michigan State. That makes Eastern Conference powers like the Celtics, Chicago Bulls and his current team, the Orlando Magic, the favorites to sign him once the NBA lockout is lifted.

"I've been blessed by God to play in the NBA for a lot of money.," Richardson told mlive.com. "I'd like to go someplace that has a chance to win a championship."

There would be challenges to a deal with the Celtics from both the team's and player's perspectives.

"The Celtics could clearly use some wing depth behind Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, but they’re set to be over the cap and need size badly," writes SI.com's Zach Lowe. "Richardson would also have to settle for a backup role here."