In case you have an apparent drawback on the sphere that clearly will not be solved by your present roster, then exit and make a commerce that solves it instantly. That is the lesson the Golden State Warriors can be taught from the Phoenix Suns, whose newest transfer paid fast dividends on Saturday.
The Suns have been fed up with veteran middle Jusuf Nurkic, with Mason Plumlee additionally restricted defensively and rookie Osa Ighodaro maybe too inexperienced for a big rotation position at this level.
Figuring out they badly wanted an improve on the middle place, the Suns went out weeks earlier than the deadline and added Nick Richards in a commerce that despatched Josh Okogie and second-round draft capital to the Charlotte Hornets .
Suns educate lesson Warriors ought to be taught from
Richards will not be a marquee participant by any means, however he’s an enchancment over all of Phoenix’s different choices. That was on full show in his Suns debut towards the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, with the 27-year-old placing up 21 factors and 11 rebounds in a 125-121 victory.
Richards was +22 in 29 minutes coming off the bench, not like Plumlee and Ighodaro who have been -19 in 18 minutes. Phoenix’s newest acquisition got here off the bench in an try to acclimate to his new teammates, however that will not stay the case for lengthy after his first efficiency.
Former Warriors famous person Kevin Durant had 30 factors within the second half and 36 for the sport, whereas Devin Booker added 35 within the four-point victory. It was the previous Hornet who made the story from Phoenix’s perspective, with Richards exhibiting why he might turn out to be a serious addition through the second half of the season and past.
NICK RICHARDS.
The primary participant in Suns historical past with at the least 20 factors and 10 rebounds coming off the bench in his crew debut! pic.twitter.com/dGjjjYJduN
-Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 18, 2025
Let that be a lesson the Warriors have to be taught from – that any apparent deficiencies should be addressed earlier than the season slips additional away. Phoenix presently holds the very same 21-20 file as Golden State, however Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the entrance workplace appear keen to attend till nearer to the deadline earlier than making an improve at their very own middle.
The Warriors have been linked to various nice males in latest days, together with Nikola Vucevic, John Collins, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Valancuinas and Robert Williams III. Vucevic looks like the obvious reply, and much more so after his 40-point outburst towards the Hornets on Friday.
Maybe Golden State’s choice on Dennis Schroder serves as a cautionary story about why to not execute a commerce too early. Nonetheless, including Schroder as Stephen Curry’s backcourt accomplice was by no means essentially a no brainer, at the least not in comparison with the Warriors’ present want for a stretch 5 and the Suns’ need for a middle improve which they’ve now discovered with Richards.
