Jusuf Nurkic on trade rumblings: ‘If it happens, it’s going to be best for me’

Jusuf Nurkic would apparently welcome a move out of Denver.

ESPN’s Marc Stein reported on Saturday that the Nuggets are “openly shopping” the 22-year-old Bosnian big man ahead of the trade deadline.

Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post caught up with Nurkic after Denver’s 121-106 loss to Oklahoma City later in the day to ask him about the report.

“I have no comment about that,” Nurkic said. “All I can say is all I can control is what I can control. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be best for me. So at the end of the day, I’m here to play basketball in the NBA. If not happen here, it will happen somewhere else.

“So it’s a business,” he continued. “As soon as I come into the league, the first day, they’re going to say it’s a business. If it’s going to happen, I’m ready. If not, then me and my agent are going to figure it out.”

Nurkic has tremendous upside as a low-post scorer and defensive presence but has fallen out of favor in the Denver rotation as fellow Baltic big Nikola Jokic has gobbled up all his playing time. He received just 15.8 minutes a night in the month of December and was a DNP-CD for four straight games.

We know that Nurkic, who also has to battle with Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, and rookie Juan Hernangomez in the Nuggets frontcourt, has a reputation for saying what’s on his mind. So we’ll see if he can get back in Denver’s good graces or if these comments help hasten his departure.

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