The Suns made a move to acquire Nick Richards from the Hornets, but some people are more skeptical of the move than expected.

This is more than a change of scenery for new Phoenix Suns big Nick Richards. In being traded, Richards leaves a Charlotte franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and joins one that’s looking to compete for championship.

The Phoenix Suns have made a trade. No, not that trade. Jimmy Butler remains a member of the Miami Heat for the time being, but even as the Suns continue to try to pry him away, they have managed to make a deal of another sort by acquiring Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards along with a 2025 Denver Nuggets second-round pick for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks: two from the Nuggets (2026 and 2031) along with a Suns original (2031).

There are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome for Butler to be wearing a Suns jersey before season's end. For starters, Miami Heat president Pat Riley would likely need to loosen up just a touch. However, it extends much further than that.

When word leaked that Butler was hoping to get traded away from the Heat — with the Dallas Mavericks, his hometown Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Phoenix Su