The Phoenix Suns are reportedly planning to trade center Jusuf Nurkic by using one of the three first-round picks they recently acquired from the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Bobby Marks. Nurkic, who has one season remaining on his contract worth $19.4 million, has been sidelined since January 6, prior to the team’s acquisition of center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets on January 15. Addressing his situation, Nurkic recently stated that he has “no relationship” with head coach Mike Budenholzer, shedding further light on his dissatisfaction with the team.
Shelburne and Marks also reported that other NBA teams have inquired about the availability of Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, but ESPN confirmed that Phoenix has rejected all such inquiries. Durant’s contract is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, as he declined to sign an extension last October. He remains eligible for a two-year extension after the current season. Meanwhile, Booker is closing in on becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and sources within the team told ESPN that he has not indicated any desire to leave Phoenix, even if the team’s current trajectory does not meet expectations. As a result, the Suns have made it clear that they “won’t field calls” regarding Booker.
Following their trade of a 2031 first-round pick, the Suns currently hold three first-round selections: the lowest of Cleveland/Minnesota’s pick in 2025 and the lowest of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah’s picks in both 2027 and 2029.
