Anthony Edwards names forgotten Suns player one of his most beloved teammates

The Phoenix Suns held their media day ahead of the new NBA season last week - one of the first organizations to do so - with many since following suit. At the Minnesota Timberwolves' first chance to interact with the media coming off back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, superstar Anthony Edwards cut a relaxed figure.

Despite this being in many ways a make-or-break campaign for their core, Edwards doesn't seem fazed by the challenge at hand. It is interesting to think about how different this offseason could have been if the Suns had traded Kevin Durant to team up with the guy who grew up idolizing him, but instead it is the Houston Rockets who landed the star. That won't fix every problem in Texas.

Edwards names Josh Okogie as one of his favorite teammates.

When speaking with the assembled media at the open day, the always entertaining Edwards was asked which former teammates he missed the most. The phrasing of his answer caught everybody by surprise, but he didn't hesitate to name both Jarred Vanderbilt and former Sun Josh Okogie as his top choices.

There is no doubt Okogie was a popular figure when he was in The Valley, and you could make the argument that he would be a better fit with the Suns now than the player they received in the trade for him. Phoenix acquiring center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets, which at the time was a solid move.

But with Jusuf Nurkic eventually being dumped and the Suns going back to Charlotte for their starting big in Mark Williams, the need for Richards is less than at the deadline. Even more so when you consider the franchise also drafted Khaman Maluach to be their center of the future. Given the concerns around Williams long-term however, perhaps Richards is a nice insurance policy.

Okogie has now landed with Durant in Houston, and he will be a valuable role player off the bench for that group. Another reason Phoenix likely wishes they still had him now is because he could have been a great veteran presence, would surely have clicked with Dillon Brooks and could have been an important part of the defensive culture head coach Jordan Ott is creating.

If Edwards would go out of his way to praise the 27-year-old, then you know he must have done something right during their time together. Then again - with exciting prospects such as Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro needing all the minutes they can get this coming season - perhaps there wouldn't have been room for Okogie anyway. He remains a popular figure in this league.