The Charlotte Hornets didn't have the best of seasons this year. On the bright side, they were able to get rid of some expendable veterans while receiving some assets in return. One of the players they shipped midseason was Nick Richards, sending him to the Phoenix Suns, who believed at the time they were a couple of pieces away from being true contenders.
While Richards had some impressive performances in a Suns uniform, it ended up not mattering that much for the struggling franchise. It failed to secure even a play-in tournament berth, finishing as the West's No. 11 seed with a 36-46 standing.
Much like the Hornets, Phoenix is in desperate need of major roster upgrades this offseason. Interestingly, it is reportedly looking for an upgrade over Richards. The front office has realized by now that the 27-year-old big man just doesn't have the chops to be a starter for a contending squad.
Suns don't seem to be that high on Nick Richards
According to Jake Fischer (subscription required), some sources have signified that the Suns are going to prioritize the "addition of a starting-level center" in the summer, regardless of whether Kevin Durant remains in the desert or not.
So, it appears that they have given up on the idea of Richards being on the floor at the opening tip-off. That doesn't sound surprising at all for Hornets fans.
He had been a serviceable backup during his time in Charlotte and even had shown some flashes of substantial play when he had to stand in for the oft-injured Mark Williams in the starting lineup. Unfortunately, Nick couldn't develop his game enough for his weaknesses to abate or disappear. For instance, he has continued to be one-dimensional on offense and a cone on defense. His ability to catch passes has also regularly been knocked by viewers.
Of course, he has shown some positive traits, including being active on the boards and displaying rim-running abilities. Even so, if it isn't clear by now, he is just not fit to be a starter.
It remains to be seen if Richards would stay in the Suns' rotation, as the front office could opt to give Oso Ighodaro more minutes at the five or look for alternatives in the market as its backup center.
Fortunately for Phoenix, it didn't have to surrender a ton of assets to the Hornets to acquire Richards. And luckily for Charlotte, it was able to extract some value out of the former second-round pick as early as it did.