4 Phoenix Suns at risk of being traded this summer

The Phoenix Suns have entered the final portion of the regular season, and there are still plenty of questions surrounding this team. When they're fully healthy they look like they could beat anybody at least once, although doing so four times across a seven game series is very much another matter.

Even worse, injuries to both Bradley Beal and Devin Booker are part of the reason the organization are languishing in sixth spot in the Western Conference. With Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic having both been remarkably durable given their age (Durant) and injury history (Nurkic) for all of this season, losing either for an extended period of time would be a hammer blow to their playoff hopes.

Which is why the Suns need to keep one eye on this summer, and be ruthless about the players they would be willing to part with in any upcoming trade discussions.

Booker is obviously off the table, as owner Mat Ishbia continues to build a short and long-term product around his superstar. Even if the next three seasons - or Durant's departure, whichever comes first - does not bring a first ever NBA Championship, the Suns should and will stick with Booker.

Everybody else is on the table though, even if the Suns don't have many moves to make a result of their stretched cap sheet. Next season alone Booker, Beal and Durant will make over $150 million combined, which is why the team has gotten by using the veteran's minimum to fill out their roster. Which means if they want to change direction, they've got to start thinking big about this summer.

4. Jusuf Nurkic

As we'll see with most of the players who appear on this list, it is not the productivity on the court that should have the Suns thinking about trading center Jusuf Nurkic. In his lone season with the team he has been everything they have wanted and more, and perhaps most importantly he has already played more games (60) so far this season since way back in 2018-19.

The Suns in theory shouldn't want to get rid of Nurkic then. He makes too much sense next to their trio of stars, has played well defensively and knows his role on the other end of the court to just get rid of him. Nurkic has also accepted sitting on the bench for entire fourth-quarters of games, as head coach Frank Vogel has sometimes gone with Durant at the five at times this season.

This is something we're sure to see more of in the playoffs, which does brings up the question of what the Suns are doing with Nurkic long-term. If they're not going to use him so much in crunch time, why have him at all? Surely they can get his level of productivity in the regular season for cheaper and with a younger player?

Really though the main reason Nurkic might not last beyond this summer is because he's making $37 million over the next two seasons after this one. The kind of deal - combined with Nurkic rehabbing his value so far this season - that the Suns should be able to move to get a player or two back to potentially make the roster stronger. Which is something the front office will surely think about.

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