Former Nuggets Starter Emerges as Major Trade Possibility
In a series of Tweets, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix detailed the possibility of a Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic swap. Nurkic, the former Denver Nuggets starting center, has spent the last seven seasons in Portland. Nurkic was dealt from Denver to the Trail Blazers in 2017, which allowed Nikola Jokic to become the full-time starting center for the Nuggets.
Now possibly on the trade block again, Nurkic could be involved in a major deal according to Gambadoro. In his series of Tweets, Gambadoro wrote, "If Nurkic was on the table I would be surprised if the Suns didn't look into it because an argument could be made that is an upgrade for [Phoenix]. This would be contingent on [Damian Lillard] being moved. Portland has previously shown no interest in [Ayton] but that was with Dame staying. If they do not have Dame on the roster they could very well want a young 25-year old to build around."
While this part of Gambardo's report was phrased more as an opinion than a scoop, he added that a Lillard trade is expected very soon, which could then trigger this swap between Phoenix and Portland. Gambardo also shared a story from Arizona Sports that solidified this potential trade as something he sees as a real possibility if Lillard is moved.
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