3 Reasons the Spurs must trade Josh Richardson at the deadline

Richardson will be a free agent.

With Richardson set to become a free agent after this season and the Spurs unlikely to re-sign him this summer, they should look to trade him. However, the decision to move him is tied directly to his value; otherwise, they could waive him. Considering the Spurs have often let players like Richardson leave in free agency, they should avoid repeating that same mistake.

After all, the Spurs let players like Rudy Gay, Patty Mills, and LaMarcus Aldridge leave rather than trading them before it got to that juncture. In fact, they nearly did the same thing with DeMar DeRozan until the Bulls bailed them out. All this is to say that the Spurs shouldn't let a chance to extract an asset slip away. Although the team already has a treasure trove of picks, acquiring more is a key part of any rebuild.