Nick Smith Jr. is in the midst of a playing time renaissance. The 27th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has quickly developed from a seldom used bench guard into a key piece in the Charlotte Hornets’ rotation as a key cog in Charles Lee’s attempts to pull his team's offense out of the league’s basement.

The Hornets are sending Richards and a second-round pick to Phoenix for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks, league sources confirm to The Observer on Wednesday. The Observer reported the mutual interest between the two teams while the Hornets were in Arizona on Sunday.

The Phoenix Suns have made a trade. No, not that trade. Jimmy Butler remains a member of the Miami Heat for the time being, but even as the Suns continue to try to pry him away, they have managed to make a deal of another sort by acquiring Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards along with a 2025 Denver Nuggets second-round pick for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks: two from the Nuggets (2026 and 2031) along with a Suns original (2031).