Report: Knicks Interested in Trade for Hornets Center
The latest trade buzz around the New York Knicks involves a current Charlotte Hornet.
Per Evan Sidery of Forbes, the Knicks are one of several teams "expressing interest" in a trade for Nick Richards, who is set to be one of the cherished interior prospects at the transactional deadline. The Knicks are not alone, as Sidery lists Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Sacramento, and the Los Angeles Lakers are potential suitors as well.
Richards, 27, is in the midst of his fifth season in Charlotte and is tied for the team lead in rebounds at 7.7 per game. He has had to take on a larger role in the Hornets' interior with Mark Williams out due for the year due to an injury and is also putting up 9.2 points and a career-best 1.3 blocks this year.
A native of Jamaica who went to high school in the tri-state area (St. Mary's (NY) in Manhasset and The Patrick School (NJ) in Hillside), Richards broke out to the tune of 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds last season while shooting over 69 percent from the field.
“I’m extremely proud of Nick,” then-Charlotte teammate PJ Washington said of Richards work in March 2023, per Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “I’ve been knowing Nick since my freshman year of high school. So, just to see his growth to now is just amazing. I’m proud of him for being out here and playing hard each and every night.”
The Knicks (25-14) have received a dire wake-up call about their depth in recent showings and the point was hardly subtle when Isaiah Hartenstein came by for a visit on Friday night.
Now repping the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hartenstein rose to the occasion last year when starting center Mitchell Robinson went down with ankle woes. That earned him an $87 million contract from the Western-leading Thunder and the Knicks, despite adding Karl-Anthony Towns, have struggled to fill out the latter portions with Robinson still ailing. New York's reserves were out-boarded 23-15 by those of Oklahoma City, which rolled to a 126-101 victory, the Knicks' fourth defeat over the past five games.
That make Richards a solid match for New York, but the depleted draft stock may cause the rebuilding Hornets to look elsewhere: the Knicks, of course, gutted their draft cabinet to land both Towns and Mikal Bridges but they still hold their own first-round choice in 2026. A surge from the Detroit Pistons should also put another asset in the Knicks' pocket, as New York owns the Motor City's 2025 first-rounder provided it lands outside of the top 13.
The Knicks will look to get back on track come Sunday when they face the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden (3 p.m. ET, MSG).