Suns Land Nick Richards in Blockbuster Trade With Hornets

According to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN, the Phoenix Suns have acquired center Nick Richards and one second-round NBA Draft pick from the Charlotte Hornets.

In exchange, the Hornets are receiving shooting guard Josh Okogie and three second-round NBA Draft picks.

"Suns land much-needed help at center with Richards, who's averaged 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in nine starts this season," Charania later elaborated.

"He's shot 65 percent from the field over the last four seasons, fifth-best in the NBA during that span (min. 800 attempts), per ESPN Research."

Richards has played 21 games total this season, averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 total rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.3 steals per game.

Meanwhile, the Hornets are getting no slouch with Okogie, who has been in the NBA since 2018. This season, he is averaging six points, 2.9 total rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game across 25 games, one of which he started.

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Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Richards began garnering attention in high school when he participated in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Nike Hoop Summit.

Richards committed to the University of Kentucky, where he would play for three seasons.

In his freshman season, Richard started all 37 games with the Wildcats, but saw his play time decrease over the season. He averaged 5.1 points, 4.4 total rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game.

In his sophomore season, Richards once again played 37 games, but only started three of them. He averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 total rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

Finally, Richards was given an opportunity to shine in his junior year, averaging 14 points, 7.8 total rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game across 31 games, 30 of which he started.

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Richards declared for the 2020 NBA Draft where he was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the second round by the New Orleans Pelicans, who immediately traded him to the Hornets.

Richards truly began to come into his own during the 2022-23 NBA season where he averaged 8.2 points, 6.4 total rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.6 assists across 65 games, nine of which he started.

The following season, Richards numbers increased even more, averaging 9.7 points, eight total rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.8 assists over 67 games, starting 51 of them.

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