A recent NBA signing from the G League seems to have taken a possible Phoenix Suns trade partner off the board.
The Toronto Raptors reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with big man Mo Bamba, the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Orlando Magic.
Bamba entered the league with plenty of hype as a lanky, shot-blocking center selected with Orlando’s lottery pick, but his NBA career to this point has been highlighted by the Sheck Wes song that bears his name as the title (NSFW language). The track has more than 472 million YouTube views at the time of writing.
But Bamba is back, powered by his performances in the NBA G League where he averaged 17.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while converting 39.6% of his 3-point attempts for the Salt Lake City Stars.
So, why does the former lottery pick signing across the border impact the Suns? Well, Toronto was viewed among the top trade landing spots for Suns backup big Nick Richards.
Richards, who has mostly fallen out of favor in head coach Jordan Ott’s rotations (while on an expiring contract) is viewed as one of the key pieces Phoenix could opt to move ahead of February’s trade deadline.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported in December that the Raptors and Suns had exploratory trade talks that would have sent Richards to Canada. The talks reportedly centered around Ochai Agbaji and second-round pick compensation heading to the desert in exchange for Richards. It’s safe to assume those trade talks are dead now that Toronto has found another big man to fortify its frontcourt without having to surrender assets.
It’s unlikely the Raptors would still pursue Richards now that they have Bamba in tow — who in his last G League game posted 17 points and 18 boards. That being acknowledged, Phoenix should still be focused on moving Richards ahead of the deadline.
By moving the big man’s contract, the Suns could slip under the luxury tax threshold and avoid a possible repeater tax, while also potentially getting compensated with a second-round draft pick for the former Charlotte Hornets big man not named Mark Williams.
So, where could Richards go now?
One possible destination could be the Boston Celtics.
Right now, Boston has former second-round pick Neemias Queta as its starting center, notching 24.6 minutes per game (by far a career high after logging 13.9 minutes per contest a season ago). Backing him up is former Iowa standout Luke Garza, who’s converting a career-best 41.9% of his 3-point tries this season.
Neither of those guys are acclimated to a hefty NBA workload, so Boston could be in the market for frontcourt depth at the right price point to take pressure off the Queta/Garza pairing.
Suns GM Brian Gregory in all likelihood will have to find a different suitor for Richards now that Bamba’s getting another crack at NBA minutes with Toronto. It’s a good test of his front office chops after the Raptors threw him a curveball.
Can Gregory pivot and get some value in return for a guy who’s not been cracking Ott’s recent rotations? That remains to be seen.