Report: Suns expected to trade Nurkic, won’t field calls on Booker or Durant
Jan 30, 2025, 12:58 PM
The Phoenix Suns are expected to use one of their three first-round picks acquired in the recent Utah Jazz trade to entice a team to take on center Jusuf Nurkic, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Bobby Marks reported.
Nurkic, who has one season and $19.4 million left on his contract, has not played since Jan. 6, before the Suns added center Nick Richards via a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 15. Nurkic recently said he has no relationship with head coach Mike Budenholzer, adding more public clarity about his dissatisfaction with the team.
Shelburne and Marks also reported that other NBA teams have asked about the availability of stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. ESPN reported those teams have been turned down.
Durant’s contract ends following the 2025-26 season after he bypassed the opportunity to sign an extension in October. He is eligible to sign a two-year extension after this season.
Booker is nearing the Suns’ all-time scoring record. Team sources told ESPN that Booker has not given any indication that he’d want to leave Phoenix if the current situation does not pan out and that all inquiries about Booker won’t be fielded.
The Suns currently have three first-round picks in their arsenal after trading their 2031 first: the lowest of Cleveland/Minnesota in 2025, and the lowest of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah in 2027 and 2029.