3 Hornets who survived the NBA trade deadline, but maybe not much longer

Nick Richards

Richards profiles fairly similarly to Martin except he’s younger and plays the center position. But otherwise, he’s established himself as a really nice role player, who has shined on the defensive end, and has a nice contract with multiple years left.

Richards has seen his role grow considerably this season with the injury to Mark Williams and he has done a great job in an expanded role. Teams were definitely calling about Richards at the deadline, and like with Martin, I’m sure if the price was right, Charlotte would have pulled the trigger.

He’s just 26 years old and plays a position of need for the Hornets. With two years and $10 million left on his current deal, the Hornets could easily keep Nick around and he could be a prominent player, at least for the next few years.

But there are lots of teams who would love to have a high-energy, defensive-minded, rim-running center who makes just $5 million a year, and several who would likely pay handsomely to acquire his services.

At a certain point, he could become more valuable to other teams than he is to the Hornets and they’d have to seriously consider moving on from him. As much as I like Richards, he profiles as a role player, and there’s a chance he’s in his prime right now.

If a team is willing to offer Charlotte a first-round pick or comparable value in young talent, I think the Hornets would have to begrudgingly agree and take the assets. Especially if they believe in the health of Mark Williams, it may make sense to sell high on Richards before his role is diminished.