The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to premier wing defenders and backup centers in the NBA trade market for much of the season. They landed 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith over the weekend in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, but they still need a center to back up Anthony Davis.
Walker Kessler, Jonas Valančiūnas, Nikola Vučević, and other high-level players have been mentioned as possible targets, but with Davis on the roster, a reliable backup seems more likely than a quality starter.
A recently proposed mock trade by FanSided’s Craig Miller has the Lakers make a deal with the Phoenix Suns, sending Rui Hachimura and Christain Wood to the desert for Jusuf Nurkić and a 2026 second-round pick (via Denver Nuggets).
“With Finney-Smith in town, providing basically everything Rui Hachimura has had a hard time providing consistently, we’re counting Hachimura as expendable at this point,” Miller wrote.
This is a deal the Suns would make in a heartbeat.
This season, Nurkić is averaging only 8.8 points 9.5 rebounds while shooting 45.2% from the field, which is horrible for a starting center. In Los Angeles, he would be a backup, which is a role he is more suited for.
On top of that, it is very clear that the Suns don’t want him on their team anymore. On Dec. 27, he was suspended after slapping Dallas Mavericks’ forward Naji Marshall, who threw a punch. In the ensuing scuffle, most of Nurkić’s teammates did not rush to his aid.
KD didn’t take one step towards Nurk during the altercation or after he hit the ground. That should tell you everything you need to know.
— PHX Fans (@PHXFansAZ) December 28, 2024
Durant said he “understands” why the Mavericks swung on his teammate after the game, and several clips have gone viral of the center butting heads with his teammates.
As the Lakers struggle at 18-13 and the Suns wallow at 15-16, sending Nurkić to a new team where he can play a more friendly role could be a win-win for both teams.
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