Nick Richards was the perfect low-risk trade target for the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2026 deadline. The Phoenix Suns center thrives as a rim protector and offensive rebounder, and has displayed quality when defending the pick and roll. Moreover, he has an expiring $5 million salary.
Despite the obvious nature of how he'd fit alongside Luka Doncic and the Lakers, however, Richards has instead been sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade Los Angeles could've at least matched.
Richards, 28, has spent his six NBA seasons developing into the prototypical backup center. He thrives within his role, knows his limitations, and excels in traditional manners. Unfortunately, that seemingly wasn't enough to convince the Lakers to take a chance on him.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Suns have traded Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis to the Bucks for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey.
The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to trade Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to the Phoenix Suns for Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026
Richards was then re-routed to the Chicago Bulls following the inclusion of Ousmane Dieng, who has played 10.9 minutes per game this season, in a now three-team deal.
The Bucks and Suns have expanded this to a three-team deal to include the Chicago Bulls: Ousmane Dieng to Milwaukee and Nick Richards to Chicago, sources said. https://t.co/aD5AgbZ9Df
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026
Though Anthony and Coffey are talented players, there's no reason the Lakers couldn't come up with a similarly appealing package for a big who perfectly fit what they needed on an expiring contract.
Bucks land center Nick Richards for Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey
Anthony is a productive scoring guard who can create for himself and others, but he's averaged just 15.4 minutes per game in 2025-26. Coffey has shown three-level scoring potential as a forward, but he's checked in at just 8.8 minutes per contest.
As such, it's difficult to imagine that the Lakers would've been unable to at least come up with an offer that's similar in quality to what the Bucks and then the Bulls ultimately acquired Richards with.
That's a disconcerting truth when one considers how Richards' strengths align with the Lakers' weaknesses. His minutes have been limited in 2025-26 due to the Suns' logjam at center, but in 2024-25, he ranked in the 98th percentile in rim protection and rim disruption, the 92nd percentile in post defense, the 90th percentile in screener rim defense, and the 94th percentile in offensive rebounds per 75 possessions, per Basketball Index.
The Lakers, meanwhile, rank No. 24 in second-chance points, No. 26 in offensive rebounds per game, and No. 29 in defensive field goal percentage at the rim.
Furthermore, Richards shot 69.0 percent on pick-and-roll plays in 2024-25—thus suggesting that he could've fit rather seamlessly with Doncic and his preferred style of play. To make matters worse, there was no real risk involved in adding Richards. He has an expiring $5 million salary and could thus come off the books if the collaboration proved imperfect.
Unfortunately, the defensive-minded center that the Lakers need is now headed elsewhere despite his team-friendly contract and a return Los Angeles could've matched.