The Phoenix Suns have brokered a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. It comes with Nick Richards the desired center, but the Suns are not giving up Jusuf Nurkic.
Instead, the Suns are sending wing player Josh Okogie and three second-round picks to Charlotte, as reported by ESPN Insider Shams Charania. Phoenix will also receive a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. Recently, there were rumors that Phoenix wanted to ship Nurkic to the Queen City in such a deal.
Richards is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over the season, and according to John Gambadoro (Arizona Sports 98.7 FM), the Suns plan to establish the new center as the new starter at five in the near future.
This role belonged to Nurkic for a long time before the Bosnian was benched by coach Mike Budenholzer after a suspension from the game against the Dallas Mavericks. The big man then came off the bench twice, but “The Bosnian Beast” has not been used at all in the last four games.
Suns a disappointment so far
The 27-year-old Richards, on the other hand, is a solid defender and significantly more athletic than Nurkic, and the former Hornets big man is only earning five million dollars each until 2026. The traded Okogie, on the other hand, only played a minor role in Phoenix, even though he had just signed a new two-year contract worth 16 million dollars in the summer.
The Suns are currently only eleventh in the Western Conference with a 19-20 record, despite getting off to a good start this season with a 9-3 record. Charlotte has lost nine of its last ten games, while the Hornets are only 8th in the East with just 14 wins.