The Phoenix Suns are in dire need of an upgrade at the center position, and it has been no surprise to see current starting big man Jusuf Nurkic mentioned as a trade candidate recently. That appears to be wishful thinking on the part of Suns' fans however, as a market for his services doesn't currently exist.
Perhaps if the Suns attached a draft pick and entered any negotiations from the angle that Nurkic is an expiring contract next year, they might get some traction. For now though he looks destined to remain in Phoenix, where he will have a hard time keeping his minutes from backup Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro.
The Suns are still in a better place without Deandre Ayton though.
It was Nurkic and Grayson Allen who headlined what was a three-team trade last summer that sent Ayton to the Portland Trail Blazers and those two - plus Nassir Little and Keon Johnson - to The Valley. In his first year in Portland Ayton failed to grasp the opportunity of playing for a rebuilding group and putting up big numbers, although he did finish the campaign strong.
Nurkic on the other hand was better than advertized, somehow being the most healthy starter the Suns had as he played in 76 regular season games. It got ugly in the playoffs - but in terms of jettisoning Ayton and getting a functioning center in return who could help them win games - this was a win for the Suns. Even if the same is not true of Nurkic this season.
Not much has changed for the Trail Blazers in 2024-25 - they're a mediocre 8-18 as we approach Christmas - and they've come to realize just what having Ayton on your team means. Essentially, not much of anything on any given night. That, and a lack of consistency and availability when the team needs him most as well.
Deni Avdija tells Deandre Ayton to cover the incoming Rui Hachimura on the perimeter, but Ayton barely moves.
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 9, 2024
Rui Hachimura makes another triple... pic.twitter.com/us5Omd10rL
His 14.2 points and 10 boards each night might sound noteworthy - but when you consider the older and slower Nurkic gave the Suns 11/11 last season - is it really what you expect out of a 26-year-old? A center who went so far as to call himself "Domin-ayton", and who has all of the physical tools to be a force inside. Which he was for the Suns en route to the 2021 NBA Finals.
Ayton has only appeared in 17 games to this point as well, which is somehow one less than Nurkic has managed (18) despite suffering several issues that have held him out of games. He is supposed to be one of the key pieces that organization is hoping to build around - just like the Suns hoped he would be - and it is not happening.
Don't forget that Ayton is a former first overall pick, and was a key part of a group that made it all the way to the finals. Since then however his time in the league has featured him looking disinterested in doing a lot of the things that made him such an anchor for the Suns to begin the decade. The Trail Blazers felt a change of scenery could re-ignite his fledgling career. They were wrong.
It says a lot that current teammate and often injured fellow big man Robert Williams III is garnering more trade interest currently, but that is exactly why the Trail Blazers are now saddled with Ayton. There's a reason the Suns were willing to take a punt on Nurkic after all, while Allen ended up being the most valuable player they got back in that deal.
If nothing else and when he is healthy, Williams III tries hard defensively and has a positive impact on that end of the court. This despite only playing eight times so far this season. The same has rarely been said of Ayton, with the Trail Blazers an awful 18-54 since he joined them. That's not all on him of course, but he hasn't done a lot to win them some games and flip the script on his reputation.
His team have given up 117.1 points when Ayton has been out on the court so far this season, an unacceptable number when you have a supposedly excellent defensive big in the paint. The Suns don't miss Ayton in the slightest - it was just a shame they had to take on Nurkic to dump him - and the Trail Blazers are now finding out just what exactly having him on your team means.