NBA trade rumors are heating up with the deadline just one week away. No big names have been moved yet, but the rumor mill has been flooded with tons of new intel as everyone around the league tries to improve either their short- or long-term outlook. Here’s the latest trade buzz from Thursday.
Suns may have found a suitor for Nurkic?
Phoenix has long been attached to Jimmy Butler as the trade deadline looms, and while that plan isn’t dead yet, it’s significantly more difficult to pull off since it all hinges on Bradley Beal waiving his no-trade clause to be dealt to an undetermined third team since the Heat don’t want him in return. As the Suns spin their wheels on how to obtain Butler, they’re now starting to focus on other ways to improve the roster, and specifically how to get Jusuf Nurkic on a different team.
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When Beal was benched earlier in January, so was Nurkic in a less-talked-about move that saw Mason Plumlee take his starting spot at center. Then the Suns traded for 7-footer Nick Richards, who has started in four of his five games with Phoenix, pushing Nurkic further down the depth chart. Couple that with what appears to be tension between Nurkic and head coach Mike Budenholzer, as the big man recently said he and the head coach haven’t spoken in two months, and that they don’t have a relationship, and the writing is on the wall that Nurkic’s playing days in Phoenix are likely over.
The issue, though, is finding a team willing to take on the remaining $37.5 million he’s owed between this season and next, a costly price to take on for a center who was just publicly demoted. However, it appears as though the Suns may have found a potential taker, as the Hawks have discussed a potential swap of Nurkic, per The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.
Who would Phoenix want in a possible deal? Signs point to veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. Financially that deal works straight up with no need to add any additional salary, but you have to think the Hawks would ask for some draft compensation to take on Nurkic. The Suns, meanwhile, just turned one first-round pick into three with a swap with the Jazz.
For the Suns, Bogdanovic isn’t having the best of years, but he’s still a career 38% 3-point shooter. He’s been hampered by a knee injury all season, which has resulted in him playing in just 24 games, but if he can get back to the version of himself that is a consistent 3-point threat, it would be a steal for the Suns who need depth around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
The Knicks have come on strong in recent weeks, and are just one game back of the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Their starting five is one of the best in the league led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, who have already been named All-Star starters. But the bench unit ranks dead last in the league in terms of scoring, which isn’t too surprising given that three of New York’s starters — OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — all rank in the top 10 in minutes, with Bridges and Hart ranking first and third, respectively.
But as we saw in the Knicks’ playoff run a season ago, you need depth in the postseason, especially when/if injuries hit, and once the injuries started to pile up for New York they didn’t have enough to overcome them. That’s why it’s not surprising that they’re possibly trying to trade big man Mitchell Robinson and his $14.31 contract this season. The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III reports the Knicks are believed to be “open” to dealing Robinson, who has yet to play this season.
Robinson’s contract is sizable enough that it could get the Knicks a decent bench player in return, though Robinson’s injury history doesn’t exactly make him an exciting asset for another team to take on, especially when he’s also owed $12.9 million next season.
According to Edwards, the Knicks are interested in getting another backup big to replace Robinson, likely one without so many injury concerns, but they’re not interested in attacking a draft pick just to get off his deal. Perhaps the Suns could help, as they’re obviously trying to move Nurkic, who could be a serviceable backup big for the Knicks.
