Knicks Warned Against Potential Trade for $15 Million Center

Getty Nick Richards #4 of the Charlotte Hornets reaches for the rebound as Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the New York Knicks defends.

The New York Knicks were urged not to trade for Charlotte Hornets backup center Nick Richards despite their center rotation getting depleted with Mitchell Robinson‘s slow recovery and Isaiah Hartenstein‘s departure.

The Athletic’s new Knicks beat reporter James Edwards III pumped the breaks on such a trade scenario that will likely involve rising guard Miles McBride.

“Richards, who league sources tell The Athletic is someone the Knicks have had on their radar this offseason, is a big, physical specimen with a good motor. He rebounds OK, too, and can be disruptive at the rim. McBride, though, is the best player in this deal, so I’d be hesitant to do this particular trade if I were running the Knicks’ front office, even if it addresses a need,” Edwards wrote on September 24, a day after news leaked out that Robinson will be out until December or January.

Richards, who is on the second year of a cheap three-year, $15 million deal, could be the Knicks’ band-aid solution to their big man woes.

The 7-foot Richards has vastly improved over the last two seasons and he’s coming off his best season in the NBA.

After averaging 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds during the 2022-23 season, his game went a notch up this past season.

Richards, who boasts a 7’4 wingspan, started in 51 of 67 games for the  Hornets last season. He averaged 10.1 points 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a starter.

In July, Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported Richards was one of the Knicks’ trade options.

“The Knicks have also made inquiries on the trade market, showing interest in Jazz center Walker Kessler, league sources told HoopsHype, along with Hornets center Nick Richards, as previously reported by HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote on July 2. 

Knicks Plan to Weather the Storm

Swept under the rug of the injury news on Robinson was the Knicks’ plan to move forward with what they have.

Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, who first reported the news, said the Knicks are confident they can weather the storm.

“The Knicks’ priority is to be smart with Robinson’s rehab—they do not want to rush him back before he’s 100%,” Weitzman wrote on September 23. “The Knicks also maintain that they are confident in the current depth and versatility of their roster.”

Without Robinson, the Knicks have become a small team with no 7-footer in their lineup.

Jericho Sims, their high-flying, uber athletic third-string center, is now the tallest on their roster at 6’10.

The Knicks would need big bodies to bang up with Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, who they will face in the first two months of the season while Robinson is out.

Tom Thibodeau Thinking Small Ball

A big part of the Knicks’ optimism that they can weather the storm without Robinson is their strong perimeter defense.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is now more open to playing small ball because of the presence of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.

“Obviously, the OG signing was huge for us,” Thibodeau told NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner. “And then adding Mikal [Bridges] was phenomenal. Getting Julius [Randle] back will be huge as well. We lost [Isaiah] Hartenstein, which is what we’ll have to replace. But I think we have versatility, where we can play smaller at times because of OG’s ability to guard big. Julius and [Josh] Hart can guard big as well.”

Thibodeau plans to make Randle a part-time center this season, something that he was reluctant to do before the Anunoby and Bridges trades.

“We’ll look at some different things because we have versatility — we could see Julius [Randle] more at the 5,” Thibodeau told Aschburner. “I don’t want to do that for long stretches — it would take its toll. But to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages.”