The Phoenix Suns on Thursday moved on from a disgruntled former starter in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets.
The Suns traded center Jusuf Nurkic to the Hornets on Thursday in exchange for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick. The Suns also shipped a 2026 first-round pick to Charlotte as part of the deal.
The Phoenix Suns are trading Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/epRJty7lid
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
For the Suns, this is about money. Nurkic is signed through next season and is due over $19 million in the final year of his contract. Both Martin and Micic have non-guaranteed deals for next season, and by waiving both of them at the end of the year, the Suns would be able to get under the second apron. That is also why they had to kick in the first-round pick in order to make the deal happen.
Nurkic has averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds per game over his NBA career and was a starter for the Suns at the start of the season. However, he struggled defensively and fell out of the rotation completely in early January, leading Nurkic to air some of his frustrations publicly. Reports had indicated that the Suns were already eager to part ways with Nurkic all the way back in December.
The Suns could still make a bigger move before Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, but they are definitely operating with one eye on next season already.
