{"id":118250,"date":"2025-01-16T06:28:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T11:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=118250"},"modified":"2025-01-16T06:28:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T11:28:45","slug":"nba-trade-grades-phoenix-get-their-big-man-the-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/16\/nba-trade-grades-phoenix-get-their-big-man-the-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trade Grades: Suns and Hornets Twist Things Up But Suns Get Their Big Man And The Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a little bit of a twist, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/10\/top-centers-the-phoenix-suns-should-target\/\" target=\"_self\">Phoenix Suns<\/a> and Charlotte Hornets completed a trade earlier this evening. While the trade wasn&#8217;t what was expected, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/14\/suns-and-hornets-proposed-big-men-deal-win-the-trade\/\" target=\"_self\">Suns still got their &#8220;big man<\/a>,&#8221; in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/richani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Richards<\/a>, per <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1879645984822800473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Charlotte Hornets are trading 7-foot center Nick Richards and one second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okogijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Josh Okogie<\/a> and three second-round picks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>NBA Trade Grades: Suns and Hornets Twist Things Up, But Suns Get Their Big Man<\/h2>\n<p>Phoenix and Charlotte <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/13\/phoenix-suns-nick-richards\/\" target=\"_self\">reportedly started <\/a>discussing a trade involving Richards on Saturday. The Suns were one of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/10\/teams-pursuing-charlotte-hornets-nick-richards-trade\/\" target=\"_self\">several teams<\/a> interested in the 27-year-old center. However, the trade talks reportedly involved <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nurkiju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jusuf Nurkic<\/a> being sent to Charlotte.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with that rumor was that there was no confirmation that the Hornets wanted Nurkic. Also, the Hornets would have sent another player to Phoenix for salary-matching purposes.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the Suns and Hornets agreed to a compromise by sending Okogie and draft picks to Charlotte in exchange for Richards.\u00a0 Charlotte is also sending a second-round draft pick to Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix (19-20) is tied for 11th place with Golden State (19-20), one-half game out of the NBA Play-In tournament in the West. The Suns are just two and one-half games behind the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas for fifth in the conference. They had their longest winning streak (three) snapped by Atlanta last night and continue their five-game road trip in Washington on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Charlotte (9-28) has lost 22 of its last 27 games. The Hornets are on pace to finish their fifth campaign with less than 20 wins. The Hornets, who are concluding a supposed five-game road trip, had two of their road contests in LA canceled because of the wildfires on Friday in Chicago.<\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0Hornets- Suns Trade Details<\/h3>\n<h4>Phoenix Suns Get:<\/h4>\n<p>Nick Richards<\/p>\n<p>2025 Hornets Second-Round Pick<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pick is the least favorable of Philadelphia or Denver&#8217;s Selection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Charlotte Hornets Get:<\/h4>\n<p>Josh Okogie<\/p>\n<p>Denver Nuggets 2026 Second-Round Pick<\/p>\n<p>Nuggets 2031 Second-Round Pick<\/p>\n<p>Suns 2031 Second-Round Pick<\/p>\n<h3>What Does The Trade Mean For Phoenix<\/h3>\n<p>One of Phoenix&#8217;s biggest issues\u2014I say one because the Suns have many\u2014has been at center. Nurkic, who the Suns acquired from Portland in September 2023, was initially thought to be part of Phoenix&#8217;s first unit expected to compete for a championship. While the 30-year-old Bosnian has been fantastic on the boards, he has struggled offensively, particularly this year\u2014even as a passer\u2014and has not been that strong in the post.<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/plumlma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mason Plumlee<\/a> has started the past nine games at center for the Suns. While Plumlee has been more effective than Nurkic, he is not a champion-caliber starter. Meanwhile, rookie <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/ighodos01\/splits\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oso Ighodoro<\/a> has shown some promise but is not ready.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, enter Richards. Richards should immediately step into the Suns&#8217; starting lineup. The 7-footer increases the Suns&#8217; athleticism and rim protection and should also provide some offensive punch.<\/p>\n<p>Richards has struggled a little on the offensive end, although he is generally an outstanding finisher.\u00a0 While he is one of the players who doesn&#8217;t need a play called for him. he has struggled to convert on the move, whether driving to the basket or cutting.<\/p>\n<p>Richards should see around 25 minutes at the five. Thus, Plumlee should move back to the bench and likely see around 15 minutes. Therefore, Ighodoro or <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a> will likely fill the remaining minutes at the five.<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix saves money on the deal as Okogie makes $3.2 million more than Richards this year and $2.7 million next. Richards, who is extension eligible, has a 2025-26 contract that doesn&#8217;t guarantee until the end of June. The Suns probably insisted on Charlotte&#8217;s 2025 second-round choice to entice someone to take Nurkic off their hands. They also created a $3.25 million trade exception with the trade that they could use in any trade before the trade deadline.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Phoenix Suns reduced their luxury tax penalty by $20 million by swapping Josh Okogie&#8217;s $8.25 million for Nick Richards&#8217; $5 million.&#8221;<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/YossiGozlan\/status\/1879649033431728489\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Cap expert Yossi Gozlan<\/a> tweeted following the completion of the trade.<\/p>\n<h5>Grade: B+<\/h5>\n<h3>What The Trade Means For The Charlotte Hornets<\/h3>\n<p>Charlotte has a lot of work to do with its roster to finally be competitive consistently. The Hornets have not won at least 35 games in consecutive seasons since 2015-2020, so any draft capital that they can add is important.<\/p>\n<p>Richards is talented but more of a role player than a starter. Plus, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willima07.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Williams <\/a>has solidified\u00a0himself as the Hornets&#8217; starter and is much younger than Richards. Also, the Hornets have reportedly been impressed with two-way player <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/diabamo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Moussa Diabate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Okogie, who became trade-eligible yesterday, is a talented wing who has yet to maximize his abilities.\u00a0 The athletic 26-year-old guard is a slasher known for his scoring ability and being an outstanding perimeter defender. While shooting is a weakness, he has made 38.1% of his 3-point attempts this season.<\/p>\n<p>It is hard to imagine Okogie finding a regular spot in Charlotte&#8217;s rotation this season, as they are loaded with wings. It is possible that the Hornets, who are still over $7 million below the NBA&#8217;s tax line, could flip Okogie before the trade deadline. However, Okogie can&#8217;t be combined with another player in a trade. His 2025-26 $7.2 million salary is not guaranteed until the end of June.<\/p>\n<h4>Hornets Draft Stash<\/h4>\n<p>While Charlotte only netted two draft picks, it still significantly adds to their stash. The Hornet now have potentially 23 draft picks from 2025-2031. Here is a look at the Hornets&#8217; picks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2025 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2025 2nd Round Pick (via Philadelphia, unprotected)<\/li>\n<li>2025 2nd Round Pick (via New Orleans, unprotected)<\/li>\n<li>2026 1st Round Pick (own) &#8211; 2026 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2026 2nd Round Pick (via Denver) &#8211; 2027 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2027 1st Round Pick (via Miami, lottery protected)<\/li>\n<li>2027 1st Round Pick (via Dallas, top two protected)<\/li>\n<li>2027 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2027 2nd Round Pick (best of Portland\/New Orleans)<\/li>\n<li>2028 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2028 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2028 2nd Round Pick (best of Charlotte\/Los Angeles Clippers)<\/li>\n<li>2028 2nd Round Pick (via Phoenix)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a02029 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2029 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2030 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2030 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2030 2nd Round Pick (via Denver)<\/li>\n<li>2031 1st Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2031 2nd Round Pick (own)<\/li>\n<li>2031 2nd Round Pick (via Phoenix)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Trade Grade: B<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a little bit of a twist, the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets completed a trade earlier this evening. While the trade wasn&#8217;t what was expected, the Suns still got their &#8220;big man,&#8221; in Nick Richards, per ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania. The Charlotte Hornets are trading 7-foot center Nick Richards and one second-round pick to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":118323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,7,2,62,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hornets","category-featured","category-nba","category-suns"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118250"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118324,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118250\/revisions\/118324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}