NBA Rumors: Ranking and predicting where the top 35 NBA free agents will sign

Fred VanVleet (Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
Fred VanVleet (Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
3 of 35
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs Josh Richardson (Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports)

33. Josh Richardson (unrestricted)

The New Orleans Pelicans never truly recovered from their injuries and when the team acquired Josh Richardson at the NBA Trade deadline, the hope was that he could help this team in their pursuit of a playoff spot. It didn’t quite end up working out for the Pelicans as a whole but Richardson did average eight points on 38 percent shooting from 3-point range after being traded to New Orleans.

Considering that the Pelicans acquired him at the NBA Trade Deadline with the hope of utilizing him as much more than a half-year rental, I believe that he will be re-signed by the team. Zion Williamson noise aside, the Pelicans are still an extremely talented team and, if healthy, they have a chance to be one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference next season.

In a vacuum, the Pelicans are extremely talented. It’ll be interesting to see how the offseason plays out for them, but you’d have to imagine that assuming no big moves are made that they’ll be looking to solidify the supporting cast.

If so, they’ll likely need a veteran wing such as Richardson. He would be a good player to bring back next season at the right price.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans