Phoenix Suns Land Nick Richards From Hornets In Trade To Upgrade Center Position

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jan 15, 2025 5:02 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns made their first trade of the season, acquiring Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Phoenix sent Josh Okogie and three second-round picks to the Hornets for Richards and one second-round pick.

By making this move, the Suns have upgraded their center position for a cheap price. Richards is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.1% from the field this season.

The 27-year-old is also averaging 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in his nine starts this season. With this production, it is likely that he will take over the starting job from Mason Plumlee due to Plumlee’s poor performances.

This move comes at the perfect time for the Suns as they have been in a slump over the past two months. After starting the season 8-1, Phoenix now holds a 19-20 record which has them sitting 11th in the Western Conference standings.

Phoenix was in desperate need of a new center after seeing poor production this season from both Plumlee and Jusuf Nurkić. They had already moved Nurkić to the bench, so he may fall completely out of the rotation with the addition of Richards.

Richards is a solid paint scorer and should help fix the Suns’ rebounding issues. He is also on a fairly cheap contract, allowing the Suns to possibly make more moves ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Of course, the Suns still have more moves to make to become a title contender, but acquiring Richards fills one of the many holes on their roster.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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