The third major mid-season trade of the 2024-25 season saw the Phoenix Suns swing at acquiring Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards in a trade that sent Josh Okogie and three second-round picks to the Hornets. The Suns also received a second-round pick in this deal and can hopefully solve their glaring center issues this season.
With the 19-20 team making several lineup changes in the last few weeks, the Richards’ deal should begin the process of solidifying the team’s lineup going forward. We should be on the lookout for more trades that potentially move Jusuf Nurkic or Bradley Beal to a new destination, but the team will have to line up with their complete roster as early as tonight against the Washington Wizards.
Let’s analyze how the Suns will run their lineup after this trade.
Starting Lineup
Starters: Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Ryan Dunn, Kevin Durant, Nick Richards
The Suns will hope to stabilize their roster by relying on this set group of five starters, even if there are rotational trades to solidify the bench. These five provide the best balance for a competitive roster, with all five members of the rotation having defined roles.
Tyus Jones was brought in to be the point guard and not overburden Devin Booker as the primary creator, a role Jones has performed well. He’s not an elite point guard but he might be the perfect option who can bring together these five while recognizing that two offensive forces on the floor need to be fed the ball at all costs.
Booker and Kevin Durant are the mercenary scorers, with Booker expanding his game to be a more capable on-ball defender and playmaker. The duo have had great success while playing together without additional mouths to forcefully feed, so it might lead to the production increase the Suns need from both stars to be realistically competitive. Ryan Dunn is the perfect 3-and-D option next to them, showing rapid improvement in his shooting skill while being a lockdown defender.
Finally, the new addition. Richards averaged 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on the Hornets, with those numbers improving to 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks as a starter this season.
He needs to simply provide aggressive rebounding and reliable rim protection, two skills the Suns haven’t gotten from their centers all season. Richards is a risky choice given he’s been a career-long backup, but the specificity of the role in Phoenix might give him room to thrive.
Reserves
Reserves: Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Mason Plumlee, Oso Ighodaro, Monte Morris, Bol Bol, Damion Lee, Jalen Bridges (TW), Collin Gillespie (TW), TyTy Washington Jr. (TW)
The Suns have arguably one of the most expensive bench units in the NBA, with an approximate salary of $102.8 million (excluding two-way contracts). Hopefully, the Suns can get the kind of production such an expensive bench unit is expected to provide.
Bradley Beal has been solid as a sixth man for the franchise, boosting the team’s offensive versatility by averaging 16.3 points and 4.0 assists in six games off the bench. Staggering his minutes with either Booker or Durant can keep a high-level scorer on the court at all times, although the Suns’ bench production issues aren’t about Beal but the ones around him.
Grayson Allen has regressed from being one of the best shooters in the NBA last season to being lost in the mix this season, failing to provide the high-level 3-and-D play that got him a $70 million contract extension with the Suns.
Royce O’Neale is a solid veteran forward although his production will never be too high due to his role. Monte Morris provides solid backup guard play, although his skill set is made redundant by the ones ahead of him.
The issue for Phoenix on the bench is their seeming excess of bigs. They are DNPing Jusuf Nurkic, meaning they likely will try to move on from him as well. Mason Plumlee is on a minimum contract and is a veteran while Oso Ighodaro is a long-term prospect the team will want to nurture.
You don’t need four centers, so the Suns will likely have to consolidate the exceedingly average big-man depth on their squad. All-in-all, the team looks improved on paper but these changes don’t seem to be needle-moving enough to make them contenders this season.
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