The Chicago Bulls acquired center Nick Richards from the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced Friday. In exchange, the Bulls sent forward Ousmane Dieng to Milwaukee, according to reports from NBA.com and Bleacher Nation.
The move addresses an immediate demand for Chicago after losing both Zach Collins to injury and Nikola Vucevic to a trade with the Boston Celtics, leaving Jalen Smith as the only established center on the roster. The Bulls had previously added Guerschon Yabusele in a deal with the New York Knicks, but at six-foot-eight, Yabusele did not fully resolve the team’s need for size and rim protection, as detailed in a report by SI.com.
Richards, 28, has appeared in 28 games for the Suns this season, averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game. The Bulls are hoping the six-foot-eleven center, with a seven-foot-four wingspan, will provide a stronger interior presence. He was initially acquired by the Suns as part of the deal that sent Coby White to Chicago, and then was rerouted to the Bulls after being briefly acquired by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded Dieng, Collin Sexton, and three second-round picks for White.
Milwaukee receives Nigel Hayes-Davis along with Dieng in the trade, while Phoenix gains Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey. The trade was orchestrated by Bulls executive Arturas Karnisovas, his seventh deal as the team’s head of basketball operations, according to reports.
