Does Anyone Really Want Q-Rich?

Quentin Richardson has proven to be a more than serviceable basketball player 9 years into his NBA career. He holds respectable 11.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.6 apg career averages and has made nearly 36% of his three pointers during that time period. His production has clearly fallen off since his most productive seasons with the (gasp) Clippers when he and buddy Darius Miles (what's he up to now?) were banging their hands against their heads and wearing lots of bling. But the majority of NBA players would dream of having Quentin Richardson's numbers, not to mention his 6 yr 43.5 million dollar contract bestowed upon him by the Phoenix Suns before the 2004 season. In what is probably the smartest basketball move the franchise has ever made, the Clippers did not match that restricted free agent offer.

That lucrative deal expires after this upcoming season, which has NBA team's scrambling to acquire Brandy's husband (In today's economy, expiring contracts are just as valuable to NBA franchises as talented players because once an expensive contract is off their books, a team has more cap space to play with during free agency) and has Q racking up the frequent flyer miles this offseason. Today, for the 4th time since his 2008-2009 campaign with the Knicks ended, Quentin Richardson was traded. On the one hand, it's always nice to be wanted, but at the same time, the Grizzlies, Clippers, T-Wolves, and now the Heat haven't acquired Richardson for his game, but instead for the finnancial flexibility he provides. In other words, it appears the league is saying Richardson is no longer good enough to stick with a team based purely on basketball skill, but his contract is too appealing for anyone to turn down. Here's the rundown of Q's busy summer...

June 25: New York Knicks trade Q-Rich to Memphis Grizzlies for Darko Milicic (you know it's bad when you get traded for Darko)

July 17: Grizzlies trade Q-Rich to Los Angeles Clippers for Zach Randolph (swap of two horribly overpaid players, seemingly there is some hope for Q coming back to spot of his greatest success)

July 21: Clippers trade Q-Rich to Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen, and Craig Smith (if you're keeping track, now Richardson has been traded for Darko and Mark Madsen)

August 14: Timberwolves trade Q-Rich to Miami Heat for Mark Blount (is that it?)

Now Richardson and his buddy Dwyane Wade can go bowling as much as they'd like...