Hopefully he leads us in that area. Just controlling the paint.” Durant on Josh Okogie: “I really appreciated how Josh approached the game and his love for his teammates. I wish him the best.

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, multiple teams are positioning themselves as key players in facilitating high-salary trades. The Detroit Pistons have emerged as the front-runner for this role, thanks to their strategic salary cap management,

Earlier this week, the Suns executed a trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Nick Richards. In exchange for the young center, Phoenix departed with Josh Okogie and multiple second-

The Phoenix Suns' newest addition could make his team debut on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday ... Phoenix gave up guard-forward Josh Okogie and three second-round picks in ...

The Charlotte Hornets traded backup center Nick Richards and a second-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Josh Okogie and three second-round draft picks on Wednesday night.

Last week, the Phoenix Suns sent wing Josh Okogie and draft capital to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Nick Richards. In his first game with the Suns, Richards made an immediate impact, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a narrow win over the Detroit Pistons.

Phoenix addressed its size issue by adding Richards, who averaged 11.3 points on 61.7% shooting, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 27.2 minutes in nine starts with the Hornets. For the season, he is averaging 8.9 points on 56.1% shooting, 7.5 rebounds. 1.2 blocks and 21.0 minutes per game in 21 games with Charlotte.

Suns center Nick Richards scored 21 points off the bench in his on-court debut as Phoenix picked up a 125-121 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

On Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons were back on their home floor ... In exchange for the young center, Phoenix departed with Josh Okogie and multiple second-round picks. Days after the trade ...

Get to know new Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards and what his potential role with the NBA team could be after his trade from the Charlotte Hornets.

Bradley Beal and Nurkic were benched for the Jan. 6 game at Philadelphia. Nurkic played that game and the next against Charlotte in the second of a road back-to-back, but Suns coach Mike Budenholzer didn't play him the next two games against Atlanta and Utah.

The Suns traded Josh Okogie and three future second-round picks Wednesday for Richards and a second-round selection. Wearing No. 2, Richards joined the Suns (20-20) Friday in Detroit and was ready to make his debut Saturday against the Pistons (21-20) at Little Caesars Arena.