While many believe that Philadelphia 76ers swingman Josh Richardson is in a far better place today than he was with the Miami Heat this time last season, the 25-year-old recently opened up about the difficulties he had to go through as soon as he heard that he was going to be traded:

“It was tough,” he said, via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Bam [Adebayo] was with me when it happened.”

After being shipped off by the Heat to Philly as part of the Jimmy Butler trade deal, the general consensus was that it was a win-win scenario for both teams. Butler got his wish of signing with the Heat, while the Sixers secured the services of a sharpshooting wing, who averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks last season, while also connecting on 2.2 3-pointers per ballgame on a 35.7 percent clip.

Nevertheless, for Richardson, the hardest part of having to switch teams is leaving your former teammates behind for good:

“My brothers still play here,” Richardson said moments later by the only home locker room he had known for his first four NBA seasons. “Like, I'm a Heat fan. I'll be a Suns fan. I'll be a Clippers fan. I'll be a fan of all the teams that my brothers are still on.

“I mean, it's different. But as you can see, out there, Rodney, Tyler, Bam, we're all still brothers. At the end of the day, it's bigger than basketball.”

The 6-foot-6 guard/forward also went on to say that while he will do everything in his power to keep his friendship with his former teammates intact, he also guarantees that said friendships will need to take a back seat when they face each other on the court:

“I'll be keeping up with you guys and hopefully my boys are doing good,” Richardson said of the Heat.” But when it comes to game time, it's business.”

By joining a powerhouse Sixers squad, Richardson is now in the best position he has ever been in his career in terms of potentially winning an NBA title. It's not going to be easy for Richardson and the 76ers, but they are certainly one of the favorites to go all the way this year.