5 Unpopular trades the Suns should explore this summer
By Tyler Watts
4. Trade Jusuf Nurkic to round their roster
The Suns swapped Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara for Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson as part of the Damian Lillard trade. It was a bold move. Phoenix moved on from a former number-one overall pick, and Nurkic had played just 153 games in the last four seasons combined.
The seven-footer has shined in Phoenix. He is averaging 11.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.1 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. His passing, rebounding, and paint presence are massive for the Suns, but how does he fare in the playoffs? There are concerns as teams will force him to guard on the perimeter and defend pick and rolls.
Nurkic is the Suns’ fourth-highest-paid player behind their Big 3. If they plan on trading anyone and getting a significant return, it is the 29-year-old big man. Ideally, Phoenix turns him into a couple of role players who help round out their roster and make them a viable title contender.
This move may be popular, but it will cost the Suns every draft asset they can muster and the return could be disappointing as Phoenix needs to keep it under $18.1 million in salary to make the trade math work. Expect the front office to explore every inch of this avenue.