The Phoenix Suns continued to take advantage of a softer portion of their schedule on Sunday, as they won their third straight game with victory over the Charlotte Hornets. In doing so they also avenged a loss to the same opponent, although that may not have even been their low point of this season.
The Suns also managed to get back to .500 - and with a couple of games against the Washington Wizards on the horizon - the opportunity to get back into the playoff picture exists for this group. Center Jusuf Nurkic doesn't look like he'll be part of those efforts though, with his third straight DNP and some activity off the court all but confirming his exit from Phoenix is imminent.
But his ideal replacement struggled against the Suns.
Nick Richards of the Hornets has been spoken about by fans as the ideal - but also realistic - player they can flip Nurkic for in order to improve their roster. It certainly makes sense for the Suns - they'd shed themselves of a player they're not longer using - although it would cost them some of the three second round picks they currently own.
From the perspective of the Hornets, they're not going anywhere and taking on Nurkic for some picks to use down the road makes some sense. Nurkic will be an expiring deal next season as well, but the Suns don't have any more time to sit around and wait for that to be the case. They need to improve right now while existing in the second apron, and Richards is one of the few ways to achieve this.
Charles Lee on Nick Richards and his growth: “Nick is another guy that I think has really thrived with more minutes, with more opportunity….I’ve seen him grow, I would say defensively No. 1 of versatility.” pic.twitter.com/ulDASnPHHO
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) January 13, 2025
But in the Hornets' loss to the Suns, Richards managed only four points and five boards in 18 minutes off the bench. In fact it was starting big Mark Williams who looked much more impressive, although anybody who has watched a lot of Hornets basketball this season will tell you that the gulf in talent between the two is not as big as what we saw at the Footprint Center.
There's also no chance of the Suns going after Williams instead as he would likely cost them at least their single remaining first round pick in 2031, which it is hoped will still come in handy in any Jimmy Butler trade negotiations should they arise. The idea of Williams, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball as a starting point in Charlotte appears quite appealing too, even if a rebuild of sorts is necessary.
If you look at Richards to this point in his career, he's only managed 74 starts across 220 games for a team that has never gone anywhere, and has obviously never appeared in the postseason. His 9.2 points and 7.7 rebounds lag slightly behind the career highs of last season, although that is not enough to contemplate not trading for him.
Really though his performance against a team that could definitely use him should be seen as a warning for fans in The Valley if they do manage to land Richards. He's not going to solve everything, and in fact he likely wouldn't start games right away either. That would be the end goal - but with zero playoff experience - this isn't a home run by any means.
The best part of the deal would be ditching Nurkic, with Richards a much better fit next to Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro in the center rotation. He would be an improvement on what they have, but he's not likely to have the same impact as Daniel Gafford when he joined the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline last season.
The Hornets are actually worse defensively when Richards is on the court (115.6), compared to how they have fared as a team so far this season (113.3, 19th in the league). This is not meant to put fans off the possibility of adding Richards. The Suns should make the trade if it is on the table. But his performance against the Suns was a reminder that this is what operating in the second apron means.