The trade deadline is still a month and a half away, but at this point, Phoenix Suns fans know that Nick Richards will likely be on his way. He has fallen out of the rotation and is on an expiring $5 million contract. There’s a chance Richards has already played his last game with the Suns, as the team is already discussing a trade.
On Thursday, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Phoenix and Toronto had done so “exploratory” discussions about a subject that would send Richards to the Raptors in exchange for Ochai Agbaji and a second-round pick. That trade could happen sooner rather than later, given the team’s desire to cement itself as a top team in the East and Jakob Poeltl’s continued issues.
Richards has received minutes here and there in recent weeks, but nothing significant. It’s been almost a month since he played more than 20 minutes in a game, which happened on Nov. 24 when he played 22 minutes in a 114-92 loss to Houston.
Suns look to trade Nick Richards before deadline
Richards arrived in Phoenix less than a year ago and started 34 of the team’s 36 games in the second half of the season. The Suns needed frontcourt depth from the start of the offseason, but Richards found himself on the outside looking in after the team’s offseason trade for Mark Williams, who backed up Richards in Charlotte.
Jordan Ott has used Oso Ighodaro as the team’s backup center, moving Richards to third on the depth chart. Don’t forget Khaman Maluach, Phoenix’s No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft. He’s spent more time in the G League than on the field for the Suns this season, but the organization has high expectations for the 19-year-old.
Richards is the odd man out, so the writing is on the wall. He may continue to play sparingly for Phoenix, but there’s also a chance he may have played his last game for the Suns. You cannot rule out that possibility. It’s not so much a matter of as he will be traded, but when.
Maybe he’ll find himself in Toronto after the deadline, or maybe even Boston, which traded Kristaps Porziņġis to Atlanta this summer and lost Al Horford in free agency. The Celtics are currently the fourth-best team in the East, even without Jayson Tatum, and Richards is a buy-low option that could help them make a playoff run.
Whatever happens, it’s clear that Richards’ time in Phoenix is coming to an end.
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