In the midst of his current questionable situation within the Phoenix Suns, rumblings are now roaring at the side of Jusuf Nurkic.
On Sunday, it was reported that the Suns have engaged with the Charlotte Hornets for a potential deal around Nurkic in which Phoenix will acquire big man Nick Richards. As such, the talks are ongoing now for both sides, which is described as “preliminary” on stage.
An interesting injury report for Nurkic
Apparently, just hours after the Nurkic trade rumors existed, the Suns made an intriguing move surrounding the Bosnian center.
Ahead of their weekend matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix listed Nurkic as unavailable to play, citing illness in the injury report.
In the pregame of the matchup, head coach Mike Budenholzer addressed Nurkic’s status, revealing that the big man will likely not join the start of their upcoming five-game road trip which will begin Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
“He came in this morning not feeling well. We had some doctors to look and test at him, and he tested positive for flu. Unfortunate but it’s part of getting through the NBA season,” Budenholzer said.
“I don’t think that’s been determined. With the positive test being contagious, my guess is he will not start with us and then hopefully join some point early in the trip.”
Trade incoming
As it is, this offers the latest development around Nurkic’s shaky standing in Phoenix. The veteran big has fallen out of Budenholzer’s rotation in which he didn’t play in the team’s last two games. Prior to that, he was moved off the bench alongside Bradley Beal.
Nurkic has been the Suns’ established starting center since being acquired last 2023 by the franchise, but all signs certainly lead now to his exit as he has been identified as the franchise’s main trade candidate.
We can only wonder if the unexpected injury inactivity around Nurkic offers a clear sign that a trade is now bound to happen in the next couple of days.