Many thought that the Phoenix Suns would be in the bottom half of the league following the roster restructure in the offseason. They, however, have been surprisingly good, tallying an 11-7 record entering their game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
The Suns, led by Devin Booker, are currently sixth in the Western Conference, having won eight of their last 10 outings.
The Suns haven't even been in full force, as Mark Williams, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and Grayson Allen have been sidelined by injuries at different stretches of the campaign.
Phoenix is not done with its lineup retooling. According to NBA reporter Jake Fischer, the team has been shopping around Nick Richards.
“Phoenix has made Nick Richards available for trade since this past summer, league sources say,” wrote Fischer on Substack.
He noted that teams are looking for big men to shore up their zone defense, which, according to him, is increasingly becoming a trend in the NBA. This could make Richards an interesting target.
“Consider that a strong signal—if my read is right—that we're going to see some significant center movement on the trade market in the coming weeks,” added Stein.
The Suns acquired the 27-year-old center in January in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Josh Okogie. Richards averaged 9.5 points and 8.6 rebounds in 22.7 minutes in his first stint in Phoenix.
His production, however, has regressed this season, averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.6 minutes.
While Richards has shown he can contribute, especially with his size and heft, it seems he's not part of the Suns' vision.
