Atlanta Hawks: Offseason Grades

Mar 6, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson (23) drives to the basket during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Utah Jazz at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Signing Jason Richardson

This is a move made for bench depth and primarily veteran leadership. Jason Richardson is at the end of his NBA rope these days. Injuries have limited him to only 52 games over the last three seasons so it is hard to imagine Richardson making much of a contribution on the court.

In his heyday he was a great player. Richardson was a 20 point per game type scorer that always seemed to be good for one thunderous dunk every night that would bring the crowd to its feet. He even won back to back dunk contests in 2002 and 2003. Unfortunately those days are long gone.

Never forget.

Still, he is a career 37 percent three-point shooter. If he stays healthy and winds up seeing the court there is a chance he could stand in the corner and knock-down the occasional three-point shot. Anything more than that would be gravy.

This doesn’t really make an impact on the team, but it doesn’t hurt either. If he can mentor Bazemore, Holiday, and Hardaway Jr. at all then his presence on the roster will be a positive. There is also the possibility that Richardson doesn’t make the team. The roster is bit tight at the moment so don’t be surprised if that ends up being the case.

Grade: B-

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