NBA Trade Rumors: Suns, Nikola Vucevic, Grizzlies, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nets

December 26, 2024

The Phoenix Suns have set their sights on Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic, but there’s a significant hurdle in their path — NBA salary cap rules, as relayed by Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Phoenix, reportedly actively shopping Jusuf Nurkic, is interested in Vucevic, whose $20 million salary this season appears to align with Nurkic’s $18.1 million deal.

In years past, this would be an easy swap. But with the new collective bargaining agreement in place, the Suns can’t make that move as easily as they’d like.

As Stein reported, under the new rules, Phoenix can’t exceed the salary it sends out in trades. So even if the Suns were willing to attach a mountain of draft picks, they can’t just swap Nurkic for Vucevic.

The salary cap rules prohibit combining Nurkic with a minimum-salary player to bridge the gap, leaving Phoenix in a tricky spot.

Basically, the Suns will have to get creative to land the veteran center if they want to keep improving their roster without bumping into the dreaded second apron restrictions.

Grizzlies, Nets Eyeing Key Role Players

Meanwhile, Memphis has been making waves in trade discussions, too. The Grizzlies have been linked to Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith, one of the most coveted trade targets on the market.

But they’re not just looking at Finney-Smith. Sources also tell Stein that Memphis has drawn attention from the Nets for John Konchar, a player who’s drawing interest from Orlando and Miami as well.

Konchar is in the first year of a three-year, $18.5 million deal, and the Grizzlies could package him with Luke Kennard’s $9.25 million expiring contract to match salaries in a trade for Finney-Smith or another target, Stein wrote.

However, there’s a catch: Kennard can’t be traded without his consent this season, as he’s in the midst of a one-year Bird rights deal. That gives him some leverage and could complicate the Grizzlies’ pursuit of their top trade targets.