The Phoenix Suns just got deeper after the latest roster change of the season, In a breaking report by ESPN’s Shams Charania, he revealed that the Charlotte Hornets have just agreed to a deal to send Nick Richards and a second-round pick to the Suns for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks.
The Phoenix Suns have been mixed in all kinds of trade rumors as they seek to build the best team possible around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. With ties to Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and various other stars, it’s no secret that the organization has high ambitions for their success and they are willing to pay a hefty price to keep stacking the roster with talent.
In Richards, the Suns add more center depth to help shore up the defense, add some versatility to the frontcourt, and give the Suns an alternative to the defensively challenged Jusuf Nurkic. Richards, 27, was drafted 12th overall to the Pelicans but he’s spent his entire career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
This season, through 21 games, he’s averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 56.1% shooting. Richards has been coming off the bench for the Hornets this season but his play was enough to draw interest from the Suns, who just saw him play on Sunday when he dropped 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Hornets acquired wing guard Josh Okogie, who is averaging 6.0 points per game this season. Okogie brings some nice two-way play for the Hornets but the real prize is the package of 3 first-round picks that will help them rebuild for the future.
It remains to be seen if the Hornets have other moves to make but this is not likely to be the last trade for the Suns this season. Team owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear that he will do whatever it takes to help his team win and right now that means building up the support cast to support the stars.
With Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause in effect, it effectively limits what the Suns can do and it’s likely the only thing holding them back from a Jimmy Butler deal. But they can still make smaller deals like this to help address some of their flaws and raise their ceiling before the end-of-season playoff push.
It will take some time before Richards joins his new Suns teammates but the Suns will have to play on without him. Their next game is tomorrow, January 16th, against the Washington Wizards at Capitol One Arena. They continue their road trip in Detroit for a game against the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena (4:00 PM EST) facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, January 20th, at 3:30 PM EST at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
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