The Phoenix Suns recently made the trade that fans had been hoping that they would, snagging center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Josh Okogie and some second round picks. This was a trade we graded highly, and it was smart business by the front office.
But expecting Richards to fix all of the problems that exist in Phoenix right now is foolish, even if Kevin Durant appeared happy with the addition when speaking to the media after the trade was made official. The Suns also failed to ditch current center Jusuf Nurkic in the deal - as many expected them to - and he remains in Phoenix despite being benched completely at this point.
The Suns missed out on adding an ideal role player in the process.
Michael Scotto of Hoopshype claimed in his most recent piece that the deal between the Suns and the Hornets was initially bigger, and included Nurkic joining Okogie in Charlotte. The player they would have gotten back in return? Cody Martin, who would have immediately taken the minutes left by Okogie and quite quickly could have amassed even more.
The Suns still feel like they are one guy deep - and that is if they even make the postseason - and while Martin may not have been the answer, he could have been an asset to trade down the road as well. He's making just over $8 million this season and next - before becoming an unrestricted free agent - so the Suns could have added Richards and also a more moveable player.
Nick Richards is in, which officially means that the careers of these two #Suns players are all but finished (✍️ @LucaLockheart)https://t.co/nDUjrtvlWi
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) January 15, 2025
That's the kind of money Okogie is also on this season and the next, and with the Suns in the second apron it would have continued to give them access to a tier of player by using Martin as the contract going out. That is to say nothing of what he could have given this group on the court, which would have been a healthy dose of urgency and ability to make plays on both ends of the court.
Really though this just proves that the Suns will never actually be able to rid themselves of Nurkic. If an organization destined for the lottery won't take him off your hands because of his contract, then nobody else will. Nurkic has one more year left on his deal after this one, so it's not like he's an expiring deal yet either.
His deal is structured to increase each year, which makes him even less appealing at a time when front offices value flexibility over all else and want to be compensated for taking on deals such as that one. The Suns have a single first round pick in 2031 that rival franchises would love to take off their hands, and that is what it would take to get rid of the player.
Given he's been nothing but a model teammate and doesn't have the clout to force his way out of town either, it may be that the Suns have to just suck it up and have him watch from the bench for a while. They got their guy in Richards, while Oso Ighodaro and Mason Plumlee round out the rotation and make it much better without Nurkic. This proves how low his value has fallen league wide.