The Phoenix Suns had a clear problem—they were undersized. So, they went out and did something about it. In a deal with Charlotte, they landed Nick Richards and a 2025 second-round pick, giving up Josh Okogie and three second-rounders in return. Richards wasted no time making an impact. In his first home game since the trade, he absolutely owned the glass, grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds while dropping 20 points against the Wizards on 26th Jan.

But it didn’t last long. The Suns were facing the Nuggets on Saturday. And Nick Richards hit the floor, grabbing his right knee, and took a few seconds before getting up. He pushed through and ran back on defense, but the pain was written all over his face. He kept reaching for his knee, clearly uncomfortable. Not long after, Mason Plumlee stepped in, and Richards made his way to the locker room.

But Richards was back on the bench after that knee scare. He checked in the second half for the Suns. In 22 minutes on the floor, Nick Richards grabbed nine rebounds and added five points but didn’t register an assist.

Richards has been making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Splitting time between the Hornets and Suns, the big man is averaging 9.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. He’s also contributing defensively with 1.1 blocks and 0.3 steals per contest. Shooting an efficient 57.4% from the field, Richards continues to be a reliable option in the paint.

Hornets HC will be glad that the newly acquired center is fine because he is the solution for their center woes that the Suns were going through. Plus, they don’t even have Jusuf Nurkic anymore.

Nick Richards becomes the Suns’ only starting center as they part ways with Nurkic

With the trade deadline looming, the Suns finally pulled the plug on the Jusuf Nurkic experiment. He hadn’t played in weeks, so moving him was inevitable. If nothing else, it saves Phoenix some long-term money.

But let’s be real—this trade hurts. The Suns had to attach a first-round pick just to get rid of Nurkic, the guy they originally brought in to replace Deandre Ayton. That’s a tough look. They found a trade partner in Charlotte, sending Nurkic and a 2026 first-rounder for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick.

Martin might actually crack the rotation, which is already more than could be said for Nurkic. Still, keeping him long-term wasn’t financially viable. And this is the second time Phoenix has dumped a player on Charlotte after offloading Josh Okogie for Nick Richards. That strategy won’t work forever.

The real issue? This trade never should’ve been necessary. The Suns gave up Ayton and a promising young piece in Toumani Camara for Nurkic and Allen, only to burn a first-rounder to move off Nurkic now. Instead of using their 2031 pick to land a star like Jimmy Butler, they broke it into pieces and immediately wasted one.

Kevin Durant is still in Phoenix, but the damage is done this season. Maybe Martin contributes. Maybe Micic surprises. But if this was the Suns’ only move at the deadline, it’s hard to see it changing much.