The Phoenix Suns are buying and selling benched Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round choose within the 2026 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets for ahead Cody Martin, guard Vasilije Micic and a second-round choose in the identical draft, ESPN reported Thursday.
Nurkic basically turned persona non grata with the Suns. He hasn’t performed for Phoenix since Jan. 7 after beginning 23 video games this season.
The 7-footer advised The Arizona Republic final month that he hadn’t seen eye to eye with head coach Mike Budenholzer.
“We do not have a relationship,” Nurkic mentioned on the time. “So, it is wonderful. For me, simply be a professional and do the very best I can. Work and keep prepared for no matter is perhaps, however there isn’t a chaos or bringing that to this staff. They have already got loads of it. Making an attempt to be as skilled as I can and work my a– off for one thing else.”
Nurkic, 30, was acquired by the Suns on Sept. 27, 2023, in a three-way cope with the Portland Path Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks, with Jrue Vacation, Deandre Ayton and Damian Lillard the headliners of the commerce.
He has averages of 8.6 factors and 9.2 rebounds within the third season of a four-year, $70 million contract he signed in July 2022 with the Path Blazers.
In his eleventh NBA season, Nurkic was the sixteenth total choose of the 2014 NBA Draft. He has performed 564 video games (481 begins) with the Denver Nuggets (2014-17), Blazers (2017-23) and Suns.
He has profession averages of 12.0 factors, 9.0 rebounds and a couple of.5 assists per recreation.
Martin, 29, is averaging 7.8 factors and 4.5 rebounds in 39 video games (eight begins) this season.
He’s contributing 6.3 factors and three.7 boards in 245 profession video games (54 begins) since being chosen by the Hornets within the second spherical of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Micic, 31, is averaging 7.5 factors, 3.5 assists and a couple of.4 rebounds in 36 video games (16 begins) this season.
He has averages of seven.2 factors, 4.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 96 profession video games (37 begins) with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Hornets.
–Discipline Stage Media
