Suns swap Josh Okogie for Nick Richards in Hornets trade
Yesterday at 04:53 PM
The Phoenix Suns are trading Josh Okogie and three second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets for coveted big man Nick Richards and a second-round pick, first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Hornets are sending Nick Richards and one 2nd round pick to the Suns for Josh Okogie and three 2nd round picks, per @ShamsCharaniapic.twitter.com/zvbAgLv4Mi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2025
As part of this trade, the Hornets will send a 2025 second-round pick originally owned by the Denver Nuggets to the Suns, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. Phoenix is sending a second-round pick in 2026, as well as two 2031 second-round picks to Charlotte. The 2026 second-round pick and one of the 2031 picks going to Charlotte was originally from Denver.
Richards had emerged as a serious trade candidate for Phoenix in recent weeks, especially after Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer relegated starting center Jusuf Nurkic to the bench. After expressing interest in Richards at the NBA trade deadline last season, the Suns have added the key big man to their roster to try and turn around their misfortunes from the first half of the 2024-25 season.
In 21 games with the Hornets this season, Richards has averaged 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 56.1 percent from the floor.
Phoenix views Richards as a clear upgrade in their frontcourt due to his athleticism and rim-running abilities. He is expected to immediately join Oso Ighodaro in Phoenix’s main rotation with veteran Mason Plumlee.
After trading for Richards, Nurkic’s future with the Suns becomes a major question mark. The 30-year-old center is currently under contract for $18.1 million this season and will make $19.4 million in the final year of his deal next season. Phoenix can continue to search the trade market for more depth by utilizing Nurkic’s $18 million cap hit.
For weeks, the Suns have been rumored to hold serious interest in Miami Heat All-Star forward Jimmy Butler. While mutual interest exists between Butler and the Suns, the Heat have been reluctant to trade their star because he is being undervalued in trade discussions across the league. Not to mention, Miami has made it clear that they hold no desire to take on Bradley Beal and his contract.
Any scenario that could potentially play out leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline involving Butler and the Suns would include at least one other team if Beal were to waive his no-trade clause.
With Richards joining the Suns roughly three weeks before the deadline, Phoenix has time to strategize their next move in the trade market.
The Suns are currently 19-20 this season, 11th place in the Western Conference.
The post Suns swap Josh Okogie for Nick Richards in Hornets trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
