The NBA’s rumor mill has slowed down a bit as we creep close to the February 6th trade deadline. The new rules have certainly made it challenging for deals to get done and many teams are handicapped in their ability to spend, creating a (so far) underwhelming market.
Many teams would love to be buyers ahead of the deadline, but they all seem to be limited in some capacity or another when it comes to movable assets. Conversely, there are only a few clear sellers, and the players who are constantly floated in rumors and seen as available, all have warts in their game, contract, or both.
What we have seen is a bunch of smaller deals, with teams trying to improve on the margins without sacrificing top-tier assets. We saw the Warriors add Dennis Schroder for some 2nd-round picks, the Lakers add Dorian Finney-Smith for D'Angelo Russell and 2nds, and the Pacers picked up Thomas Bryant for just a 2nd-round pick swap.
On Wednesday, a deal on a similar scale went down as the Suns acquired center Nick Richards and a 2nd from the Hornets in exchange for Josh Okogie and three 2nds. The Suns are beyond desperate for frontcourt help and Richards should immediately slot into their starting lineup. The Hornets are rebuilding around a core that includes young big man, Mark Williams, so dealing his backup for draft capital makes sense.
The Charlotte Hornets are trading 7-foot center Nick Richards and one second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/RwPGJH5lzo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 15, 2025
3 of the picks in this deal came from the Nuggets
This deal is frustrating for a number of reasons if you’re a Nuggets fan. For one, the Nuggets have their own problems in the frontcourt. Richards would have been an incredible addition who could have had a major impact coming off the bench in Denver. Seeing him go a conference rival just adds insult to injury.
It’s even more frustrating considering the relatively low cost for the Suns to acquire Richards. He makes just $5 million this season, a number the Nuggets easily could have matched without surrendering a rotation player.
But the real kick in the groin comes when you look a little closer at the draft picks involved in the deal. Three 2nd-round picks seems to be the new going rate to trade for a solid NBA role player. We’ve already seen it three teams during this season; it pays to have 2nds as they’ve become the trendy new currency to get deals done.
That’s great except for the fact that the Nuggets literally have zero 2nd-round picks in the next seven years. They have somehow, absurdly traded away every single available pick, which is keeping them from getting involved in deals like this one.
Why didn't Denver just get Richards back in the Reggie Jackson trade?
And the worst part of all is that the picks changing hands in this deal almost all came from the Nuggets. Denver sent three 2nd-rounders to the Suns to move up eight spots in the 2024 draft and sent three 2nds to Charlotte just to dump Reggie Jackson’s contract.
The Suns just used two of those picks from Denver to help add Richards, while Charlotte sent one back to balance things out. What’s even more infuriating is that Jackson’s contract was for $5 million. They essentially sent $5 million of salary and three 2nd-round picks to the Hornets in exchange for nothing.
Now, six months later, guess what the Suns just sent to Charlotte? $5 million of salary and three 2nd round picks! Except they didn’t get back nothing; they got a solid backup center. This level of incompetence from the Nuggets’ front office is absolutely pathetic and it should make fans’ blood boil.