Why the Phoenix Suns might look to trade Jusuf Nurkic for Bogdanovic.
Yesterday, our own Brandon Duenas suggested a trade with the Atlanta Hawks that could help the Phoenix Suns address some of their issues with size and athleticism. Larry Nance, Jr. was the player in question, but it looks like the Suns might be eyeing a different player in an ATL deal as they look to move off the Jusuf Nurkic contract.
Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The Phoenix Suns are targeting Bogdan Bogdanovic, per @BrettSiegelNBA
“The Phoenix Suns have been active on the trade market leading up to the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. While the spotlight in Phoenix has been cast on Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler for weeks, a new twist in… pic.twitter.com/7iIs4NsRrW
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 30, 2025
Ah, the rumor mill. It’s spicy. And this one? While I don’t know the validity of it, I ask myself, “Why?”.
Bogdan Bogdanovic isn’t a bad player. Remember him? The guy the Suns drafted with the 27th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but after staying overseas, they ended up trading those rights to the Sacramento Kings? Well, he’s turned into a pretty solid NBA player, averaging 14.4 points on 43/38/85 splits over eight years with two teams, the Kings and the Hawks. Now, he’s having a down year, averaging just 10 points on a frustrating 37/30/88 split this season. But even with those struggles, he still holds value for teams in need of shooting.
But I come back to my question…“Why?” Why would Phoenix want him? They already have two guys off the bench who serve the same role. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, though they play different positions (Allen at shooting guard/small forward, O’Neale at small/power forward), are already doing exactly what Bogdanovic would be brought in to do.
Maybe the push to move off the Jusuf Nurkic contract has finally reached a boiling point. The market has set its value, and Phoenix simply doesn’t have the flexibility to trade Nurkic and his $18.1 million salary this year — plus the $19.4 million he’s owed next year — and bring back someone who truly addresses the current needs of the roster.
The Suns are in active talks with multiple teams centered on offloading Jusuf Nurkic’s contract alongside one of their first-round picks recently acquired from the Jazz.
Nurkic has played his final game with Phoenix as a deal could happen within the next few days. pic.twitter.com/B54QAilhiX
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 30, 2025
Bogdanovic’s contract? He’s owed $17.3 million this season (so the Suns save about $800,000), $16 million next season, and there’s a team option for $16 million in 2026-27. His addition doesn’t exactly solve the roster’s immediate needs, but it does create some future flexibility. And it sends Nurkic packing.
Maybe there’s another deal brewing, one that sends Grayson Allen out. If that’s the case, adding Bogdanovic would make sense, as it would free up those minutes.
Ah, trade season…