What Nick Richards brings to the Phoenix Suns

The trade is done, but what does it really mean? Who exactly is Nick Richards?

The Phoenix Suns pulled the trigger. They made a trade. They addressed a need.

Nick Richards is on his way to Phoenix, courtesy of the Charlotte Hornets, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The cost? Josh Okogie and three second-rounders.

Call it a reaction to Tuesday night’s debacle against the Atlanta Hawks — where the Suns got annihilated on the boards — or call it the inevitable fallout of Okogie becoming available to trade yesterday. Either way, the Suns saw a glaring hole and did something about it.

Richards isn’t a game-changer, but he’s a step in the right direction. The kind of move that feels practical, if not inspired. He’s a big body, and an athletic presence in the paint, exactly what the Suns lacked when Atlanta racked up those soul-crushing 20 offensive rebounds. Maybe it’s not headline-grabbing, but who cares? Phoenix needed size, and now they have it.

Whether Richards becomes a vital piece or just another name in the rotation, one thing is clear: the Suns are trying to patch the cracks. And in this league, that’s half the battle.

So, what’s next?

Plenty of balls are still spinning in the air, and Jusuf Nurkic is one of them. He wasn’t part of the Charlotte deal, which all but guarantees he’s sticking around for the rest of the season. His contract? Sure, it’ll look a lot sexier this offseason when it’s on the verge of expiration, but for now, the Suns dipped their toes in the trade waters and came up empty-handed. So far.

As it pertains to the center position, Phoenix now has options. When facing teams like the Denver Nuggets and their two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, you can throw Nurkic out there to bang bodies and try to wear him down, even though deep down you know it won’t be enough to truly stop him.

Say what you will about Nurky Daddy — love him, hate him, meme him — he’s got value. Don’t even try to tell me the Suns would’ve been punked on the boards by Atlanta if he’d been out there. Twenty offensive rebounds? Get outta here. I mean, you could argue Phoenix still loses that game, but I’m not buying it. Nurkic might not be a wizard in the post, but size matters, and this team is desperate for it.

So, what happens with him? Who knows. Maybe he stays and proves his worth in the grind of the season. Maybe he gets a ticket out of town if the market warms up. For now, he’s still here, still big, and still one of the few guys who can throw his weight around when it matters.

What does Nick Richards bring to the table?

With Richards, the Suns add a new dimension to their roster. He injects athleticism into the center position, offering a fresh archetype that complements the team’s existing pieces. James Jones has effectively added another layer to the Suns’ toolkit, one built for specific matchups and situations. According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, Richards is expected to take over the starting role once he’s fully acclimated.

What are Nick Richards’ strengths and weaknesses? James Plowright, who covered the team for three years for Charlotte Hornets SI and now does so for CLTure Sports, provided Bright Side of the Sun the following thoughts on the subject:

Strengths

Overall, a softly spoken, quiet guy despite his intimidating frame. Richards’ biggest strength is his physicality, he stands over 7ft in shoes and weighs in at 250lb, while also being an excellent athlete. Those gifts show up most crashing the offensive glass for put backs, kick outs and drawing a lot of fouls.

He’s a presence protecting the paint, although is a victim of goaltending more often than he should be. His rim protection does seem to come and go from week to week, and definitely isn’t always consistent. He is normally deployed in drop coverage, but isn’t a complete stiff if he finds himself on the perimeter.

He’s an efficient and strong finisher around the rim, and has an underrated touch with a soft hook he uses to take advantage of mismatches. Richards made a lot of progress this year as a ball handler, making better decisions in the short roll doubling his assist rate.

Weaknesses

Not a super high skill or feel player, he won’t surprise you. Doesn’t have good hands when catching passes and frequently gets stripped when in and around the paint. Been mistake prone in the past with moving screens, goaltending, silly fouls, bad turnovers, but this has improved in recent years.

Struggles with fouling when logging starting minutes which impacts his aggressiveness on both ends. FT shooting has dropped this year which is a shame for someone who gets to the line so regularly.

Hasn’t impressed when put in match-ups against All-Star calibre bigs, made him look like a back-up defensively. Isn’t someone you want to switch regularly, feet are too heavy and he gets into foul trouble. Defensive communication is sub par for a center, it’s got better but not natural to him to quarterback the D.

A dive into his advanced statistics offers some clarity, though it’s essential to account for the context these numbers can’t always capture. Coaching schematics, the talent level of teammates, and the quality of opponents faced all play a role.

Here’s what the data reveals.

Nick Richards’ player profile is a rollercoaster of polar opposites. Equal parts elite specialist and glaring liability. His strengths jump off the page like a monster dunk in transition (something we’d like to see in Phoenix, amiright?): defensive rebounding talent in the 76th percentile (B+), rim protection at a stellar 92nd percentile (A), and help defense talent soaring into the stratosphere with a 96th percentile (A+).

Add in his offensive rebounding dominance (99th percentile, A+), and Richards establishes himself as a gritty, blue-collar big man who thrives on cleaning the glass and anchoring the defense. He’s the guy you want in the trenches, banging bodies and swatting shots like his life depends on it.

But oh boy, the offensive side of the ball is where things get ugly. Richards’ shooting talent is an unmitigated disaster, languishing in the 19th percentile (F). Better than Nurk but nothing to get overly excited about. Perimeter gravity? Forget it. Defenders won’t even blink when he’s beyond the arc.

His playmaking and midrange talent also flounder at rock-bottom levels (1st and 7th percentile, respectively), making him a complete non-threat outside of putbacks and lobs. Richards is an archetype through and through: a defensive bruiser and rim-rolling anchor with almost zero versatility on offense. In the right system, he’s gold; in the wrong one, he’s a liability.

Here’s the thing we can’t lose sight of — and it feels like we often do — Nick Richards gets paid $5 million a year. Five million. There’s a reason for that paycheck, and it’s not because he’s flawless. The guy has holes in his game, glaring enough to remind you why he’s not cashing superstar-level checks. The Suns just shipped out Josh Okogie and three second-rounders to bring him in. Let’s be real: he’s not Bill Russell reincarnated. Far from it.

The Richards deal isn’t some magic wand that’s going to erase all of the Suns’ problems. This team has issues, big ones, and they’re as constant as the Arizona heat in July. But credit where it’s due: James Jones took a hard look at what wasn’t working and, with the few scraps of assets he had left, managed to make a move that improves the edges. The re-signing of Josh Okogie last year, done smartly and with foresight, put Phoenix in a position to even make this trade. Jones isn’t perfect (seriously, we’re all still wincing over the Bradley Beal deal), but on this one, he got it right.

Whether this move shifts the Suns’ trajectory remains to be seen, but let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. For all the frustration, head-scratching losses, and underwhelming performances, Phoenix sits at 19-20, and is just 2.5 games out of fifth place in the chaotic logjam that is the Western Conference. The West is tighter than a drum, and that compression has kept the Suns, flaws and all, within striking distance.

With half a season to go, and adjustments like Beal accepting a bench role (shoutout to Coach Bud for embracing what this roster truly is), there’s still hope. Toss in this Richards deal and the potential for another move (hey, Grayson Allen, don’t think we’ve forgotten about you), and the Suns aren’t dead yet. I repeat, the Suns aren’t dead yet.