Could Orlando Trade Jason Richardson?

By Justin Worsley,

When the Orlando Magic completed two blockbuster trades last week that reshaped their team, reports immediately came out that they may not be done wheeling and dealing.

But could one of their newest additions be shown the door almost as quickly as he was brought in? According to Yahoo! Sports Mike Miller, Orlando may be looking into trading swingman Jason Richardson to division rival Charlotte in exchange for forward Boris Diaw.

When Orlando traded away Marcin Gortat, Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus, they lost a lot of their size and have been struggling defensively. Center Dwight Howard, who has won the last two Defensive Player of the Year awards, has been stuck practically doing everything by himself and Orlando is concerned that he may find himself frequently in foul trouble if they do not bring in help.

Diaw, 28, is a year younger than Richardson and is also taller (6-foot-8) and 10 pounds heavier (235 pounds.) Diaw averages 5.3 rebounds per game, exactly one more than Richardson and averages 0.6 blocks per game, higher than Richardson's 0.1.

The ironic part about this potential trade is that the two player have been swapped previously. Two years ago, Phoenix and Charlotte traded the two players in a five-player deal.

Richardson does average more points per game than Diaw, but much of his stats come from his time in Phoenix, where he averaged 19.3 points per game. In four games with the Magic, he has been unable to find similar success. Richardson is averaging only 9.8 points per game while replacing Vince Carter at the shooting guard position.

Acquiring Diaw can also keep Gilbert Arenas off the bench. Orlando is currently having a dilemma as to how to split the time between point guards Arenas and starter Jameer Nelson. Without Richardson, the Magic can place Arenas at the shooting guard spot and keep him on the court longer. Arenas has been impressive in limited action in Orlando, averaging 7.8 points and 4.5 assists. Arenas has not played longer than 29 minutes so far with Orlando.

There is also the financial benefit. Diaw comes at the bargain salary of $9 million this season while Richardson is making $14.4 million.