The Suns are shining this season. They have won eight of their first ten games and are looking like a legitimate threat in the West. But there was a concerning incident during last weekend’s Mavs game that left the fans urging Mat Ishbia to get rid of Center Jusuf Nurkic as leaked footage shows him getting an earful from a fuming Kevin Durant after jeopardizing the team’s chemistry.
During one of the plays, KD passed the ball to Nurkic inside the paint. But the big man tried to fight through a double team instead of passing the ball to a wide-open Royce O’Neale on the three-point line. Sure enough, the $70 million star turned the ball over after multiple failed layup and dunk attempts. A leaked footage of the play shows Royce yelling “Pass the ball!” as the Center struggles inside the paint.
Obviously, Durant was also frustrated with Nurkic’s bad decision making as he said to him, “Hey! We’re a f**king team. Pass the f**king ball to Royce. He’s wide open.” Well, there is a high chance that Royce would have made the three had the Center passed him the ball because he is shooting a career-high 48.9% from deep this season.
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Moreover, KD also called Nurkic out for letting his emotions get the better of him, “Then, you get frustrated and get a tech? Come on. Move past that sh*t.” as he slapped the big man’s chest to get him in check. Fortunately, Nurkic’s mistake did not cost his team the game as they sneaked a one-point win against the reigning West champs. But the fans were not going to let Nurkic off the hook so easily.
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NBA World demands “Washed” Jusuf Nurkic to be traded
As expected, netizens were also not pleased with Nurkic’s selfish antics as comments like “Trade him I’ve seen enough 😭” and “Trade Nurk that dude is washed” began flooding in. Well, he still has one more year left on his deal after this season from the $70 million contract he signed with the Blazers two years ago. So, the only way to part ways with him right now would be a mid-season trade.
And many fans believe the Suns cannot win a title with Nurkic as their primary Center, “Nurkic big reason why I don’t think Suns can win it all. He’s the biggest problem for them on offense and defense.” Yes, he is a veteran in this league with a decent resume. But he is no match to the elite Centers like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Even this season, Nurkic is averaging only 9.9 points. And that lack of scoring could prove costly in the post season.
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Meanwhile, many netizens also commended KD for playing the role of a vocal leader and letting Nurkic know of his mistake, “This was frustrating to watch… good for KD to call him out.” And one even claimed that the way Durant felt is exactly “how the Blazers felt” referring to Nurkic’s seven-year stint in Portland.
Well, the Blazers did not achieve much success while Nurkic was with them. And many believe the Suns might be heading toward the same fate. Do you think Ishbia should trade Jusuf Nurkic to boost the team’s chances of winning a championship?