Lakers Trade Rumors: LA Eyes Hornets’ Nick Richards amid Wood Injury, Knicks Buzz

As the Los Angeles Lakers search for frontcourt depth with Christian Wood still recovering from offseason knee surgery, Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards has emerged as a potential trade target for the club.

Per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha on his YouTube show (starts at 24:30 mark), the Lakers “have had interest” in Richards but there’s no indication right now a deal is coming.

The market for Richards could be competitive, with James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reporting last month that the New York Knicks had interest in the Hornets big man due to Mitchell Robinson’s ankle injury that required two surgeries.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Robinson is targeting January for his return to game action.

It’s worth noting that Edwards’ report came out on Sept. 24, eight days before the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. New York could still decide to pursue another big man to bridge the gap until Robinson returns, but head coach Tom Thibodeau has Towns and Jericho Sims as his top two centers going into the regular season.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported on Monday that Richards was among “several” trade targets the Lakers looked into during the summer, but the Hornets aren’t in the process of “making trades to make trades.”

The Lakers announced on Sept. 9 that Wood had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and would be re-evaluated in eight weeks. The timetable puts him on track to return no sooner than early November.

While Anthony Davis is capable of playing center, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported he has made it clear to the Lakers he would prefer “to play alongside another big more often.”

Based on the Lakers’ current roster construction, Jaxson Hayes is the only true center with significant NBA experience. Colin Castleton and Christian Koloko are on two-way contracts and have a combined total of 74 appearances in the NBA.

Richards would certainly fill a void for them if the Lakers could find a way to work out a deal with the Hornets. The 26-year-old set career-highs in starts (51), scoring average (9.1 points), rebounds (8.0) and field-goal percentage (69.1) last season.

The Lakers will wrap up their preseason schedule on Friday against the Golden State Warriors. They will tip off the regular season at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22.