Another draft and trade as UK’s Nick Richards will end up with Hornets

Former University of Kentucky forward Nick Richards was chosen by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 42nd pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Draft analyst Shams Charania said he’ll be traded to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the Hornets were sending a 2024 second-round pick to New Orleans to acquire Richards.

Richards was the third ex-Wildcat off the board, following Tyrese Maxey (21st to the Philadelphia 76ers) and Immanuel Quickley (25th to the Oklahoma City Thunder, then reportedly traded to the New York Knicks).

The Hornets’ roster already includes former Kentucky stars PJ Washington and Malik Monk.

Richards averaged 14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks during his junior season in Lexington. He shot 64.4 percent from the field.

In a video posted to Twitter, UK Coach John Calipari said of Richards: “(He) can shoot it, can block it, can shoot jump shots, can guard guards ... this was a great pick.”

After playing 14.7 minutes per game as a freshman and 12.1 as a sophomore, Richards blossomed and played 29.6 per game while becoming the Cats’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder last season.

“Of all the kids that we’ve coached who have elevated and benefited from the culture we’ve built here, I would say Nick is at the top of the list,” Calipari said when Richards announced he was entering the draft. “Nick’s ability to self-evaluate and block out the clutter for the last three seasons has shown incredible maturity. To be able to look inward and say, ‘I need more time and I wouldn’t trade this time at Kentucky for anything in the world,’ says a lot about Nick. …

“He’s become the best version of himself and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 11:37 PM.