Trade rumor rankings: Jimmy Butler, Jusuf Nurkic and more
The NBA trade market saw another transaction go down this week when the Phoenix Suns agreed to deal veteran swingman Josh Okogie to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for big man Nick Richards, with the hope that Richards can eventually become the team's starting center. Also included in the deal were four second-round picks in total, with three going from Phoenix to Charlotte and one going back the other way.
Below, we break down the five other players who have been mentioned most often in trade rumors over the previous week, as judged by appearances on our Trade Rumors page.
Find out who else might be next to get traded below.
5. Jusuf Nurkic (Phoenix)
The addition of Richards has seemingly made veteran center Jusuf Nurkic, who was benched and even received back-to-back DNP-CDs last week, even more expendable for Phoenix. Still, the team hasn't been able to find a trade for him just yet.
Our own Michael Scotto reported this week that Phoenix was interested in making Nurkic part of the Richards-Okogie swap, with hopes of getting forward Cody Martin back in the deal:
Nurkic has struggled on the season, averaging just 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds on 45.4 percent shooting from the floor. He's also owed $18.1 million for this season and a fully guaranteed $19.3 million next year, so moving his contract might prove tricky for the Suns.
For the latest Jusuf Nurkic trade rumors and contract info, click here.
4. Jericho Sims (New York)
The New York Post came out with a report this week stating that the New York Knicks are shopping center Jericho Sims.
However, how hard New York shops Sims will depend on whether or not fellow big man Mitchell Robinson can return before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The same report from Stefan Bondy said that Robinson had yet to start sprinting in his rehab process.
According to Bondy, the Knicks asked for a second-round pick in exchange for Sims.
The 26-year-old center is averaging 1.8 points and 3.7 rebounds this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
For the latest Jericho Sims trade rumors and contract info, click here.
3. Cam Johnson (Brooklyn)
Although he's out at the moment due to an ankle sprain, Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson has a lot of interest on the trade market. According to the New York Times, the Cavaliers have a 'serious interest' in the talented shooter:
Bleacher Report likewise reported this week that it's likely Johnson will be traded in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Jake Fischer reported that the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are the leading suitors in a potential Johnson trade.
Johnson is averaging a career-high 19.6 points this season while shooting 42.8 percent from three. He's also got two seasons left on his deal after this one roughly at a combined $43 million, a team-friendly price considering at least 27 players will be earning $40 million-plus in 2025-26 alone.
For the latest Cam Johnson trade rumors and contract info, click here.
2. Jonas Valanciunas (Washington)
Veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas is 32 years old, averaging 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds on 56.0 percent shooting while playing on a contract that will pay him a total of $33.3 million through 2026-27. Oh, and the team he plays for, the Washington Wizards, is 6-33 with little hope of competing even for a playoff spot at least for the next couple of seasons.
All in all, that makes Valanciunas a very likely trade candidate.
According to our own Scotto, the center-needy Golden State Warriors explored the trade market on various veteran centers, with one of them being Valanciunas
Another team that could have an interest in Valanciunas is New York, depending on Robinson's health:
According to the New York Times, the Wizards could get up to two second-round picks for the Lithuanian center.
Valanciunas recently discussed how he's handling the trade rumors:
Butler also declined to comment when asked if the situation with the Heat was fixable, and also said that eventually, "the truth" would come out:
Another recent report on the Butler front said that the Toronto Raptors would be willing to help facilitate a Butler trade (via the Toronto Star):
The Raptors aren’t driving the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes that is consuming NBA fans who live and die on the speculation that is about to engulf the league ahead of the trade deadline. But they’d sure like to have a say in how it all ends. Talking to a handful of people around the league — all granted anonymity because none have the ultimate say in how the saga ends — it is obvious the Raptors are hoping to insinuate themselves into the conversation.
Another report earlier in the week from Chris Haynes said that Miami had considered changing the designation on Butler's suspension, which would have cost the star wing even more money:
The Miami Heat are considering changing Jimmy Butler’s supension designation from conduct detrimental to team’ to ‘refusal to provide services’, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported. However, such a change will double the fine tally for the player. The designation remains the same, but is also fluid, Haynes noted.
Finally, ESPN dropped a bombshell article on Friday morning indicating how the feud between Butler and the Heat could be on the verge of getting explosive.
There's a whole lot on the Butler trade front coming out pretty much daily at this point, so just click on the link below to read up on the latest on this dramatic saga.
For the latest Jimmy Butler trade rumors and contract info, click here.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Trade rumor rankings: Jimmy Butler, Jusuf Nurkic and more
