The Boston Celtics need to shed at least $20 million in salary this offseason to get under the second apron of the luxury tax and avoid punitive roster penalties, which means president of basketball operations Brad Stevens may have to trade several core players.
If that’s the case and superstar forward Jayson Tatum misses the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from Achilles surgery, Boston will need players on lower-cost deals to step up if the team wants to remain competitive.
More Celtics Draft Fits:
That’s why the 2025 NBA Draft is so crucial for the Celtics: Can they find a legitimate rotation player with either the No. 28 or No. 32 pick in next Thursday’s draft — or package those picks to move up higher in the first round?
The “trade up” path is intriguing if Stevens and Co. believe they can acquire a prospect with the potential to be a legitimate rotation player. And if that scenario comes to pass, Michigan State guard Jase Richardson is a name worth watching.
Let’s continue our “Celtics Draft Fits” series with a full breakdown of Richardson — the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson — and why he’d make sense for Boston:
Jase Richardson’s bio
- Position: Guard
- Height: 6-foot-1
- Weight: 178 pounds
- Birthdate: Oct. 16, 2005 (age 19)
- Birthplace: Berkeley, Calif.
- College: Michigan State
Jase Richardson’s collegiate stats
- 2024-25: 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 49.3 field goal percentage, 41.2 3-point percentage (36 games)
Jase Richardson’s college accolades
- 2025 Third-Team All-Big Ten
- 2025 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Jase Richardson’s highlights
Why Jase Richardson fits with Celtics
If Boston trades Jrue Holiday, that could thrust reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard into a starting role. And the Celtics might be very tempted by the possibility of developing Richardson into the next Pritchard.
While Richardson is much greener than Pritchard — who entered the league at age 23 after four years in college — he’s the son of an NBA player who boasts a high basketball IQ and averaged just 0.8 turnovers per game last season.
Richardson also is a deadly shooter (41.2 percent from 3-point range) who makes up for his lack of height with strong body control around the basket. Sound familiar?
“The son of Jason Richardson, he hit 41 percent of his threes as a freshman at Michigan State,” Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg says of Jase Richardson. “Richardson’s fit with the Celtics could be similar to what Payton Pritchard has provided as a scoring spark off the bench.
“Boston could be intrigued by those NBA bloodlines and his two-way potential. For the Celtics to get to Richardson, they might need to move up from No. 28.”
Indeed, Richardson is projected as a top-15 pick in most NBA Mock Drafts. But if Stevens likes him enough, perhaps the C’s would strike a deal to jump up and draft the Spartan sharpshooter.
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