New York Knicks Could Reportedly Have Trade Interest In 4-Year NBA Veteran

According to SNY's Ian Begley, Nick Richards could be a trade target for the New York Knicks.

Mar 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards (4) is introduced before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Nick Richards is coming off his fourth season in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets.

He finished the year with averages of 9.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest while shooting 69.1% from the field in 67 games.

At 26, Richards is an intriguing center that could be valuable to the Hornets on the trade market.

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards (4) reacts to the call during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

According to SNY's Ian Begley, the New York Knicks could be a team that has an interest in landing Richards.

Via Begley's article on SNY: "I’d keep an eye on Nik Richards in Charlotte as a possible trade candidate."

Bismack Biyombo, JaVale McGee among available vet bigs who can provide NYK depth at center. More on that, Julius Randle’s excitement about this Knick team & other topics in this week’s Mailbag: https://t.co/iWW7IMgM2i

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 13, 2024

The Knicks have an extremely talented roster, but they lost Isaiah Hartenstein (via free agency) to the Oklahoma City Thunder over the offseason.

He averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest while shooting 64.4% from the field in 75 games.

His production will be hard to replace, so someone like Richards would be an ideal addition to the roster.

Nov 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) dunks against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images / Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

Richards was the 42nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Kentucky.

His career averages are 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 66.1% from the field in 200 regular season games.

Mar 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards (4) dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Back in July, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported intel on the Knicks being interested in Richards.

Via Scotto's HoopsHype article on July 2: "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."

Story: Reporting on Lauri Markkanen trade talks, including new interest from the Pelicans, sources say. Plus, DeMar DeRozan updates, Lakers trade interest in Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma's trade value, Knicks center options, and 76ers targets on @hoopshype. https://t.co/uzOH410RBH

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 2, 2024