HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently reported that Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards has been made available on the trade market. This is an opportunity the Los Angeles Lakers will want to take advantage of.
Scotto writes: "To avoid the luxury tax, which is something the Suns are looking to do, league sources told HoopsHype that backup center Nick Richards has been made available on the trade market due to his expiring $5 million salary."
This report comes at the perfect time for a Lakers team that is currently in need of higher-level play at the center position. The offseason acquisition of Deandre Ayton has not aged well at all to this point, and many are hoping the team looks to make a pivot in short order. With it looking more and more like that could be the case, Richards presents a perfect chance for a potential upgrade.
From a pure athletic talent standpoint, Ayton has an obvious advantage over Richards. But there are plenty of intangibles where Deandre has been lacking, and these could be reasons the Lakers might try to move on. In the meantime, Richards can thrive in some of the areas Ayton doesn't.
Nick Richards would fix some of the Lakers' problems
If you watch him play, Nick showcases a lot of skill that make it obvious why he's been a steady player in this league for over half a decade now. He is a proven rim protector, offensive rebounder, and finisher. The Lakers could have made a run at him last year, considering the Suns got him and a second-rounder for Josh Okogie and three second-rounders.
This would be a low-risk addition LA could make. Richards would bring reliability in areas where this team has consistently come up short. He understands what his role is, and he doesn’t need plays run for him to be effective. That's the kind of player that's going to fit in on a roster like this one that already has a pretty clearly-established hierarchy.
Nick would also give the Lakers more flexibility. Whether that means reducing Ayton’s role, using Richards as a matchup-dependent option, or simply raising the nightly floor of the center position, it's a non-risky move that could certainly make this team better.
Considering his modest salary and the cost it would likely take to acquire him, this is exactly the type of opportunistic move contenders make around the margins. For a Lakers team in need of stability, Nick Richards checks a lot of important boxes.