We are a little over two weeks into the offseason, and only one team in the NBA has not made a move yet: the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have been very inactive during free agency and on the trade market. They were in the mix for Al Horford and were expected to sign him last week, but Horford is now reportedly looking at other options.
With Golden State no longer being a sure thing for Horford and losing Kevon Looney to New Orleans, they have a glaring hole at center. The Warriors’ lack of size was exposed in their second-round loss against the Timberwolves, and if they want to compete in a tough West next season, they need to address their frontcourt.
The Warriors should trade for Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards
The Suns have completely remade their frontcourt this offseason. The makeover started during the draft, when Phoenix used the tenth overall pick on Duke center Khaman Maluach. Then, they traded up in the second round to take forward Rasheer Fleming. They also shockingly just waived Bradley Beal, costing them $19.4 million annually over the next five years.
On the trade market, the Suns sent two first-round picks to the Hornets for Mark Williams, giving them three new faces in their power forward and center rotation. The moves have made Richards expendable, and Phoenix has reportedly been looking to trade him. This is after the Suns sent three second-round picks to acquire him from the Hornets last season.
Richards was productive last season, averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the field. He is efficient around the rim (71 percent rim percentage) and serves as a reliable lob threat. Defensively, Richards is very inconsistent. He does average a block per game, but opponents shot 63 percent against him at the rim, and he struggled with foul trouble at times.
Richards would benefit from playing next to Draymond Green defensively. Green is still playing at an elite level on that end of the floor and he does a great job of forcing opponents into tough shots. The problem is, the Warriors have no one to secure those misses. That is where Richards comes in.
Nick Richards would be the perfect Kevon Looney replacement
The Warriors rebounding reared its ugly head in the playoffs, as they ranked in the bottom-three in rebounding percentage amongst playoff teams (47.8 percent).
Richards’ rebounding is the best part of his game. He averaged 10 defensive rebound chances per game last season and had a rebounding percentage of 20.4. He also averaged almost three offensive rebounds per game last season, which led the Suns, and he averaged more than six offensive rebound chances per game.
Outside of Looney, no one on the Warriors had a rebounding percentage above 11 last season, and only two players averaged two offensive rebounds per game (Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis).
Richards is too flawed to be Golden State’s long-term solution at center, but he provides them with enough size and rebounding to be a stopgap at the position. There is no Looney replacement on the roster, and Richards is younger and is only making $5 million this season. Adding him would be a low-risk transaction, and the Warriors have to consider it.
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July 17, 2025 | 11:00 am
