Taking a look at some places where it might make sense for Richardson to end up.

As of last week, the anticipation is over, and we now know that Jase Richardson will not be coming back to Michigan State and will instead keep his name in the 2025 NBA draft and will have a new home after June 25. While this might disappoint some fans, it’s also another feather in the cap for Tom Izzo and his program, who have a long history of helping players make it to the next level.

My understanding is that, in the pre-draft process, Richardson was looking for a landing spot where he could find some minutes and develop with an NBA team instead of being sent to their G-League team to develop. In my opinion, if Richardson heard from the teams most likely to draft him that he would end up in the G-League, he probably would’ve gone back to MSU to grow for another season in East Lansing. This is in line with a lot of the teams who have been most consistently mocked as landing spot for Richardson. I think that Richardson is a really interesting draft prospect because his ability to play both on the ball and off of it on offense, and his defensive talents, could make him a valuable rotation player with a high floor from day one, even for a good playoff team.

Below, we will look at five of the teams who have been slated as potential Jase Richardson landing spots and his potential fit there:

Pick No. 16

Multiple outlets, including ESPN and Yahoo! Sports, have Richardson mocked to the Orlando Magic, and I personally think this is the most likely landing spot for him and a near-perfect fit.

The Magic had the No. 2-ranked defense in the NBA in the regular season and were a playoff team. However, they were really lacking offense out of the guard position. They actually ended up starting 32-year-old veteran and long-time backup guard Cory Joseph in the playoffs to try and find some answers. If the Magic changed nothing about their roster this summer except for drafting Richardson, is it crazy to think that Jase could not just get playoff minutes next year, but could actually start for this team, depending on the match-up? This would also let Richardson team-up with another Spartan in Gary Harris, making the fit even more perfect. Oh, and his dad also played there for a few seasons.

Pick No. 20

I think this is another great fit for Richardson. Like the Magic, the Heat are another top-ten defense who could use some more scoring punch on their roster. I think the Heat could use Richardson this year off the bench, and possibly even starting at times if he can beat out Davion Mitchell. I think this is another strong opportunity for Richardson.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Pick No. 15

It sounds crazy, but the Thunder, who are about to start the NBA Finals, have the fifteenth pick in this year’s NBA draft. With their success, their payroll is about to go through the roof in the next few years as they pay their stars who got them to this point, and they will likely need to add some NBA-ready players who can contribute off the bench on cheap rookie deals. While the Thunder tend to prefer bigger players than Jase, I think adding a two-way scorer like him would be of interest to Thunder GM Sam Presti and will be one to watch.

San Antonio Spurs

Pick No. 14

The Spurs are starting to build the next NBA juggernaut down in San Antonio behind phenom Victor Wembanyama. Right now, the Spurs have two guards on the roster, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, who have questionable three-point shooting ability. They will want to supplement the roster with guards who can play off-ball and hit shots, and Jase Richardson can definitely do that.

Pick No. 28

I don’t think Jase Richardson would have stayed in the draft this year if he thought there was a chance he’d fall to the second round, and I don’t think that’s a concern, because if he manages to slip to the end of the first round, I’d expect the Celtics to waste no time in submitting their selection for the Spartans’ freshman phenom. The Celtics would be a very interesting landing spot for Richardson. With Jayson Tatum injured, the Celtics will need to find offense somewhere, and with rumors of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday trades, there could be an opportunity for a rookie to come in and play big minutes if he’s ready.

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