PHOENIX SUNS

Suns’ trade interest linked to Hornets big man Nick Richards

Jan 13, 2025, 10:01 AM

Nick Richards #4 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts with teammate Miles Bridges #0 during the second h...

Nick Richards #4 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts with teammate Miles Bridges #0 during the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Spectrum Center on January 07, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Call it a coincidence that Suns center Jusuf Nurkic missed a matchup Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, a game in which Phoenix, in theory, could have used him against a center tandem of Mark Williams and Nick Richards.

People wanting to put two and two together saw it as confirmation of the rumors about the Suns’ trade interest in Richards, even if head coach Mike Budenholzer said Nurkic was away from the team with the flu.

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, NBA insider Marc Stein and PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet were among those to report this weekend that Phoenix has an interest in the 27-year-old Charlotte backup center.

“Suns like Richards,” wrote Gambadoro on X. “… He’s athletic with a good contract. Not sure Charlotte would take back Nurkic, but I do believe the two sides are working on this … There is a way to make it happen but it’s not a sure thing.”

Richards, a 2020 second-round pick, has been quietly impactful in Charlotte over the past three years as a rim-roller — he shot 69% last season! — and rebounder.

The 7-footer is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21 minutes per game this season while shooting 56% overall.

How possible is a Nick Richards trade involving Suns C Jusuf Nurkic?

As Stein wrote in his Sunday newsletter, a straight Nurkic-for-Richards swap would require Phoenix to add all the sweeteners to a deal: the Stevia, sugar, half-and-half, Splenda, you name it.

The Suns have three tradeable second-round picks (in addition to a 2031 first-rounder) to try to convince a team like Charlotte to take on Nurkić’s contract for a package headlined by in-demand Hornets big man Nick Richards … but how many of those three picks would it cost them?

Financially, Nurkic’s $18.1 million contract this year with another season left would require the Suns to take back more than Richards and his $5 million deal that also has 2025-26 remaining.

Charlotte could toss in 31-year-old Serbian guard Vasilije Micic or trustworthy wing Cody Martin to make the math work, but those are two solid basketball players who aren’t throwaway contracts, either. So in essence, you’d have to add draft assets to compensate for that inclusion, too.

In short, any talk about this type of deal would need to get more complicated to believe the Hornets would be willing to take on Nurkic’s contract.

Or it gets simpler from this standpoint: The Suns could more easily trade wing Josh Okogie ($8.3 million) for Richards and add a draft pick or two to get it done.

But that would probably require Nurkic to be moved in a separate deal with the message about his replacement being quite clear.

Why is everyone quick to tie a Nurkic trade to interest in Richards?

The Suns ruled Nurkic out Sunday due to the flu, and Budenholzer said Nurkic could potentially rejoin Phoenix at some point as it begins a five-game East Coast road trip starting Tuesday at Atlanta.

But Nurkic’s appointment to the bench last week and then dismissal from the rotation altogether after two games signaled Phoenix’s center position is indeed being reset internally.

The team’s struggles against the woeful Hornets in two games over the past week spelled it out clearly.

On Sunday, Williams put up 24 points and 16 rebounds, with 22 points and 13 rebounds coming in the first half before Suns centers Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro tightened things up.

Last Tuesday against Phoenix, it was Richards who lit up the Suns for 15 points and 12 rebounds with three blocks in just 25 minutes of action. Williams had nine points and 10 boards of his own in that one.

All of that painted the worrying picture for a Suns team that has had mid-tier centers put together huge outings against them with alarming frequency this season. See past games by the Magic’s Goga Bitadze and the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis as more proof.

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