The Phoenix Suns may be suffering from new owner syndrome.
Mat Ishbia made sure to get Kevin Durant within a couple of hours after acquiring the team, and that was a move every single GM would’ve made in a heartbeat.
However, shipping Chris Paul away without a suitable replacement and trading for Bradley Beal wasn’t the wisest idea.
The team lacked a floor general and traditional point guard, an athletic big man, and depth, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to see them struggle in the regular season and be swept in the first round of the playoffs.
Now, they’re stuck in basketball purgatory, as no one will take Beal’s $150 million contract and he has a no-trade clause, and they won’t want to trade Durant or Devin Booker.
With that in mind, NBA insider Evan Sidery reveals that Jusuf Nurkic could be the odd man out in Phoenix.
With the Suns’ limited assets to improve their roster, Jusuf Nurkic is a potential trade candidate to monitor.
Phoenix is unable to take back more salary than they send out, but Nurkic’s $18.2 million figure alongside No. 22 overall + 2031 1st could net them a difference-maker. pic.twitter.com/tbBJ51fylm
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 16, 2024
Given the new CBA, the Suns cannot take back more salary than they give away, but Nurkic is about to make $18 million next season.
So, Sidery believes they could package him alongside two first-round picks to get “a difference-maker.”
It’s crazy to think that this team could still need a difference-maker after having Durant, Booker, and Beal, so perhaps they would be better off adding more pieces that actually fit around them.
Mike Budenholzer won’t be able to do much better than Frank Vogel with the way this roster is constructed.
Still, Nurkic was a liability more often than not, so as much as they would hate to give up two first-round picks, it would make perfect sense to try to make the most of his steep salary.
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Draymond Green Reveals What Is Wrong With The Suns
