Hornets send center Nick Richards to Suns for guard Josh Okogie, 3 2nd-round draft picks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Phoenix Suns acquired center Nick Richards and a second-round pick in 2025 from the Charlotte Hornets for guard Josh Okogie and three future second-round draft picks Wednesday night. Charlotte receives second-round draft picks from the Denver Nuggets in 2026 and 2031, in addition to a second-round draft pick from Phoenix in 2031. The Hornets send a 2025 second-round draft pick, the least favorable between Denver and the Philadelphia 76ers, to the Suns. Richards helps fill a need for the Suns (19-20), who are in 11th place in the Western Conference and struggling to find consistency in the paint. The 7-foot Richards averaged 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds in five seasons with the Hornets with 74 starts. He was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2020 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky, and Charlotte acquired him in a draft-night trade. Okogie has averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 401 games in seven NBA seasons, including the last three with the Suns. He appeared in 25 games with Phoenix this season, averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 38.% from 3-point range. The Hornets are 8-28 and looking to build toward the future. “It does give us a ton of flexibility and some optionality where we can use those picks in a trade in the future,” Hornets GM Jeff Peterson said of the draft picks. Peterson would not rule out the Hornets making more trades. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba