On January 13, Beijing time, multiple players confirmed that the Suns and Hornets are in trade negotiations, and the main body of the negotiations is to send Nurkic and a second-round pick to the Hornets in exchange for Richards and other players. So how will this deal go? Stein et al. gave an interpretation -

Nurkic has dropped out of the Suns' rotation and has been DNP in the last two games. The experienced big man is considered a trade target, but his fully guaranteed salary of $18.13 million this season and $19.38 million next season will make it difficult for him to be traded.

Richards, a younger, more well-rounded center, also has a contract that is more favorable to the team than Nurkic's — the big man from the Hornets is only $5 million this season and $5 million for the 2025-26 season. In 20 games this season, Richards averaged 21.2 minutes per game, contributing 9.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

The Hornets must send one more player (with an annual salary of at least $5.63 million) for the trade to go through. The Suns may prefer Cody Martin ($8.12 million), an all-around wing player who is rebounding strongly after several injury-ridden seasons, while point guard Micic ($7.72 million), the former European League MVP, has struggled with his shooting since joining the NBA in 2023. So far this season, Micic has averaged 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting just 32.8% from the field.

Martin and Micic are both team options after this season, and neither player is currently fully guaranteed for the 2025-26 season. The same goes for Richards.

The Suns are limited by the second line, but they can also reclaim Grant Williams ($13.03 million) or Josh Green ($12.65 million) to package Richards in a trade to send Nurkic away. Gwee will miss the season after knee surgery. At the end of the season, both he and Green have two years left on their contracts.

The Suns currently have three tradable second-round picks, including the Nuggets' 2026 and 2031 second-round picks and the Suns' own 2031 second-round pick. Even if the Suns are willing to include all three of these signings, it's unclear if the Hornets are interested in accepting Nurkic, whose hefty guaranteed salary would significantly reduce their flexibility for the 2025-2 season — especially if the Hornets can't get out of their multi-year contract in the process.