The trade of Nick Richards from the Suns brings ‘unfavorable’ success in the league

The The Phoenix Suns were desperate to make a move to improve their team, which has been very poor so far in the season. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have battled injuries, and the Suns have struggled with inconsistency across the board, dropping them near the bottom of the playoff picture about halfway through the season.

One of the subplots of this frustrating season that has gone a bit under the radar is the fall from grace of center Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic has shown that he doesn’t fit very well in this roster and was recently benched, leading the Suns to trade for Hornets center Nick Richards in an attempt to upgrade the interior.

Despite the big move, people across the league they are not initiated by trade according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst.

“The fact that the Suns already had so little to trade and that Richards — a serviceable backup center but hardly a difference maker — cost them a lot of those assets has several sources around the league unhappy with the move,” Bontemps and Windhorst wrote.

Richards is expected to start at center for the Suns as soon as he settles with the team, and he really offers a different look to a team that is in desperate need of a change. As it stands, the Suns sit at 20-20 and are tied for 10th in the Western Conference.

What does Nick Richards add to the Suns?

Nick Richards offers a completely different skill set than Jusuf Nurkic did for the Suns, which could help them drastically this season. Nurkic is a below-the-frame player offensively and critical defensively, which is not what the Suns need on both ends of the floor.

Richards isn’t a great defender, but he has some pop as a rim protector and help defender on the weak side. His athleticism also makes him more fluid on the perimeter than Nurkic was, even if he can get out of position at times.

Offensively, Richards is a fit much better next to Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. He’s a much better threat and player above the rim who can catch lobs from two star point guards in the pick-and-roll, and can also clear the offensive glass to give the Suns extra possessions.

The Suns do lose a little from Nurkic to Richards in terms of creating their own offense, which Richards doesn’t do at all, but the Suns don’t need that with Beal, Booker and Kevin Durant in the fold. As a result, more possessions can start and end in those guys’ hands, while Richards can fill in the gaps, making him a much better fit in Phoenix.