The Suns have made this a priority, but how many options do they have?
The Phoenix Suns center position has been discussed throughout the fanbase this season. The starting center, Jusuf Nurkc, is the center of those discussions. Nurkic has dealt with multiple injuries in the year, which have limited his availability. He has not been great in the Suns rotation and was relegated to a bench role. Following that demotion, Nurkic suffered another demotion: he was entirely taken out of the Suns lineup. He has not played in the last three contests, and the Suns are 3-0 in those recent games. This is not a secret; the Suns had a frontcourt problem, and Nurkic was a part of it.
This has led the Suns to pursue centers on the trade block before the February 6th deadline. The only problem is that the Suns have limited assets to send out, and Nurkic’s contract is viewed as a negative asset around the league. With that being said, it has been difficult for the Suns to make a move immediately, but with recent reports, something could be on the horizon.
Suns Pursuing Centers
The Phoenix Suns have been said to be interested in two centers in the last couple of days, with one being more recent. Reports have been surfacing that the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets have explored a possible deal for Nick Richards. Richards has made a big impact for the Hornets and against the Suns in recent contests. With Richards being one name, another has also dropped from John Gambodaro.
Gambo mentioned that in addition to Nick Richards, the Suns are interested in Duop Reath from the Blazers.
Reath played on the 2023 Suns summer league team.
— Inside the Sun (@_insidethesun) January 14, 2025
The Suns have had interest in Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath. This is the ideal guy the Suns should be targeting, and it could not make me happier. The Trail Blazers have an abundance of centers on the roster, and Reath is at the bottom of that list. With Reath also even being a cheaper contract than Richards ($2 million compared to $5 million). Last year, Reath was a rookie at 27, but he was an impactful one as he was a quality backup for the Blazers. With Bol Bol being a similar-sized contract, this could be a potential way to give both players what they want: playing time.
My Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I believe this is the best move for the Suns to pursue. The Suns would not have to give up much to bring in someone who could be an impactful piece of need. This trade would also free up the Suns to continue to other centers, as Reath is on a cheap deal. The one question that remains is, Are the Suns willing to trade for another center from Portland, going off how the last one turned out?