PHOENIX – In what has been a whirlwind of a season for Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reported Saturday that Suns coach Mike Budenholzer and the estranged big man are at odds and hadn’t talked for two months.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The article came out during a 119-109 win over the Washington Wizards where Nurkic notched yet another DNP. His third consecutive while active (he didn’t play in two-straight games before missing six-straight with an illness).
Here is what the 11-year big man said on the situation in Rankin’s story:
“One door close, another will open eventually, sooner or later. It was what it is. Life is not fair.
“We don’t have a relationship. So, it’s fine. For me, just be a pro and do the best I can. Work and stay ready for whatever might be, but there is no chaos or bringing that to this team. They already have plenty of it. Trying to be as professional as I can and work my ass off for something else.”
Following Saturday’s win against Washington, Budenholzer spoke on his side of the situation.
“It’s never easy in this league,” Budenholzer said. “He hasn’t played. I’m sure he’s frustrated. So, I respect that.
“There’s been conversations that have been had. There’s been communication. But there’s three or four guys who play the same position, we’re going to go with who we think gives us the best chance. You got to earn your minutes.”
Nurkic has been a perennial starter for the last nine seasons of his career until he played under Budenholzer. With the acquisition of Nick Richards, the thought of Nurkic returning the rotation, much less starting, is a bleak one.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
