So far this season, Jusuf Nurkic has averaged 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns.
But on Thursday night, he didn’t score a single point.
That’s because Nurkic was out of the rotation for Phoenix’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, a stunning move that shows the team is ready to move on from him.
According to Evan Sidery, “Nurkic appears on his way out of Phoenix soon as he’s being shopped in trade talks.”
The Suns have removed Jusuf Nurkic from their rotation entirely logging 0 minutes tonight.
Only two games after being benched, Nurkic appears on his way out of Phoenix soon as he’s being shopped in trade talks. pic.twitter.com/2Nfr37AxN3
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 10, 2025
Has Nurkic played his last game with the Suns?
Just a few days ago, it was reported that he was being moved to the bench alongside Bradley Beal.
This was because the team has been suffering a lot of problems and the coaching staff is trying to find a starting lineup that works better.
But now Nurkic isn’t playing at all for Phoenix.
This escalation is proof that he probably won’t be with the team much longer, but it isn’t clear which front office will pick up the phone and try to get Nurkic.
He has certainly had problems this year, but Phoenix still might be able to ship him to another team, possibly as part of a package deal with other players or assets.
But what if they can’t find a suitable trade partner?
Will Nurkic be able to earn his spot back in the rotation, even if his chance of being in the starting five is gone?
With this move, Phoenix is attracting a lot more speculation and attention and now everyone is waiting to see what they do before the upcoming trade deadline.
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