On Thursday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Nick Richards is one of the centers the Raptors have expressed interest in. He added that the Phoenix Suns and Toronto had "exploratory discussions" between the two sides about a trade involving Ochai Agbaji and a second-round pick for Richards.
It's a given that the Suns will try to trade Richards and his $5 million expiring contract before the deadline, as he's the third-string center after starting 34 of the 36 games he played after Phoenix traded for him last season. One way the No. 3 Raptors can improve their roster before the deadline to make a deep playoff run is by adding size and rebounding. Richards checks both boxes.
Let's say that a version of the above trade comes true. For the Suns, it'd be a win-win: they'd receive draft compensation and a young player in Agbaji. He had the best season of his career last season, averaging a career-high 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per game, shooting 49.8% from the field and 39.9% from three. He started 45 of the 64 games he played.
This season has told a different story for Agbaji. He has played in 19 of the Raptors' 27 games, averaging only 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 15 minutes per contest. Darko Rajaković removed Agbaji from the rotation at the beginning of the season due to his shooting woes. After RJ Barrett's injury, he re-entered the rotation, and nothing changed.
With Agbaji set to enter restricted free agency, and the Raptors navigating their financial future, it would make sense for them to turn his $6.3 million salary into Richards' $5 million.
Suns discussed a Nick Richards trade with the Raptors
Thanks to the Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades (mainly the former), Phoenix depleted its first-round picks, and doesn't control its own first-round pick until 2032. That is a bit of a long-winded way to say that adding a young player like Agbaji to the roster certainly wouldn't hurt, regardless of how he's looked this season in Toronto.
As last season showed, Agbaji has potential. He is a solid defender who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. If the Suns can acquire him by moving off a player who wasn't fit for your system anyway, and receive a second-round pick on top of it, that's a trade they should make.
There is still a month and a half left until the Feb. 5 deadline, so by no means is there a rush for Phoenix to trade Richards. As Scotto wrote, the two teams didn't engage in serious trade talks. It's too early for that. If this trade is still on the table as the deadline draws nearer, though, the Suns should be happy to receive more than just draft compensation for Richards.