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Because the Los Angeles Lakers search for frontcourt depth with Christian Wooden nonetheless recovering from offseason knee surgical procedure, Charlotte Hornets middle Nick Richards has emerged as a possible commerce goal for the membership.
In line with Jovan Buha of The Athletic on his YouTube present (begins at 24:30), the Lakers “have an interest” in Richards, however there isn’t a indication but {that a} deal is within the works.
The Richards market may very well be aggressive, with James L. Edwards III from The Athletic reporting final month that the New York Knicks have been within the Hornets huge man because of Mitchell Robinson’s ankle damage that required two surgical procedures.
By ESPN Shams CharaniaRobinson is focusing on January for his return to play.
It is price noting that Edwards’ report was launched on September 24, eight days earlier than the Knicks. acquired Karl-Anthony Cities of the Minnesota Timberwolves. New York may nonetheless determine to pursue one other huge man to fill the hole till Robinson returns, however head coach Tom Thibodeau has Cities and Jericho Sims as his high two facilities for the common season.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Factors reported Monday that Richards was amongst “a number of” commerce targets the Lakers regarded into over the summer time, however the Hornets aren’t “making trades for the sake of constructing trades.”
The Lakers announcement on September 9, Wooden had undergone an arthroscopic process on his left knee and could be re-evaluated in eight weeks. The schedule has him on monitor to return in early November on the earliest.
Whereas Anthony Davis is able to taking part in middle, ESPN Dave McMenamin reported that he made it clear to the Lakers that he would favor to “play alongside one other nice extra usually.”
Primarily based on the Lakers’ present roster building, Jaxson Hayes is the one true middle with vital NBA expertise. Colin Castleton and Christian Koloko are on two-way contracts and have a mixed 74 appearances within the NBA.
Richards will surely fill a void for them if the Lakers can discover a strategy to work out a cope with the Hornets. The 26-year-old set profession highs in begins (51), scoring common (9.1 factors), rebounds (8.0) and completion proportion (69.1) final season .
The Lakers will conclude their preseason schedule on Friday towards the Golden State Warriors. They may start the common season at residence towards the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
