A new, implausible suitor has entered the Nikola Vucevic sweepstakes

A new, implausible suitor has entered the Nikola Vucevic sweepstakes.

Move aside Zach LaVine, Miami Heat two-way star Jimmy Butler is the NBA’s most talked-about trade candidate, and the saga likely won’t come to an end anytime soon. While LaVine has stayed the course amid a myriad of trade rumors, the same can’t be said of Butler.

Following reports of Butler’s desire to play elsewhere, his agent has since refuted the reports, stating that Butler never expressed a desire to suit up for the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, or Phoenix Suns. However, two weeks later, it was reported once again the six-time All-Star prefers to move on from Miami. Then, a day later, Miami Heat President Pat Riley reiterated that the Heat will not be trading Butler.

The Butler saga is ongoing and seemingly never-ending, especially after Riley’s latest remarks. Despite Riley’s intention to retain Miami’s most-accomplished player, several teams will surely be monitoring the 35-year-old wing leading up to the February 6 trade deadline—namely, the Suns.

Phoenix is interested in trading Nurkic for Vucevic

Aside from Phoenix’s reported interest in Butler, it’s become known that the Suns are actively looking to trade starting center Jusuf Nurkic. The 30-year-old big man came to Phoenix by way of Portland two seasons ago. Following an impressive, all-around campaign in 2023-24, Nurkic’s numbers have dipped considerably in 2024-25. The 7-footer averages only 9.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 24.8 minutes.

With the Suns’ preference to trade Nurkic comes its inclination to upgrade the center position. Phoenix’s target, you might ask? Look no further than Chicago’s starting five, Nikola Vucevic. The 34-year-old big man is amid a career resurgence, converting a career-high 45.2 percent of his 4.7 three-pointers per game. Besides his elite marksmanship, he’s averaging 20.7 points to go along with 9.8 rebounds per contest.

A Nurkic-for-Vucevic swap is nearly picturesque. Chicago would acquire a player with one more season on his contract, a la Vucevic, while also acquiring a future first-rounder or a slew of second-rounders as a result of swapping an over-performing former All-Star for an adequately performing stopgap option at the pivot.

To further muddy the waters, Phoenix cannot aggregate multiple contracts in a trade as a second-apron team, ruling out the possibility of attaching a minimum-level contract to Nurkic’s to complete the hypothetical swap. As easy as it once was to facilitate such a trade, those days are over under the new CBA. Side note—it’s also impossible for the Suns to take back more salary than they send out in any trade.

While Phoenix is clearly interested in upgrading a top-heavy roster, it’ll be almost impossible for the front office to achieve such a strenuous task. The Suns payroll is egregious, and it won’t get better any time soon as Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker are all raking in more than $50 million and under contract for multiple seasons.

Despite the Suns’ reported interest in Vucevic, it cannot be taken seriously. As good as a Nurk for Vooch swap sounds in theory, it’s implausible unless the Suns sent Beal to Chicago in exchange for Vucevic and Ball or a combination of players exceeding $20 million alongside the 34-year-old big man. In conclusion, don’t be distracted by the Suns’ interest in any Chicago Bull for the foreseeable future.