The Suns are shining this season. They have won eight of their first ten games and are looking like a legitimate threat in the West. But there was a concerning incident during last weekend’s Mavs game that left the fans urging Mat Ishbia to get rid of Center Jusuf Nurkic, as leaked footage shows him getting an earful from a fuming Kevin Durant after jeopardizing the team’s chemistry.

During one of the plays, KD passed the ball to Nurkic inside the paint. But the big man tried to fight through a double team instead of passing the ball to a wide-open Royce O’Neale on the three-point line. Sure enough, the $70 million star turned the ball over after multiple failed layup and dunk attempts. Leaked footage of the play shows Royce yelling “Pass the ball!” as the Center struggles inside the paint.

Obviously, Kevin Durant was also frustrated with Nurkic’s bad decision-making, as he said to him, “Hey! We’re a f——g team. Pass the f—–g ball to Royce. He’s wide open.” Well, there is a high chance that Royce would have made the three had the Center passed him the ball, as the hoopster’s shooting a career-high 48.9% from deep this season!

Moreover, KD also called Jusuf Nurkic out for letting his emotions get the better of him, “Then, you get frustrated and get a tech? Come on. Move past that s–t,” as he slapped the big man’s chest to get him in check.

Fortunately, Jusuf Nurkic’s mistake did not cost his team the game, as the Suns sneaked a one-point win against the reigning West champs. The unforgiving, loyal fans, however, were not going to let their player off the hook so easily.

NBA World demands “washed” Jusuf Nurkic to be booted ASAP

As expected, netizens were also not pleased with Nurkic’s selfish antics as comments like “Trade him I’ve seen enough 😭” and “Trade Nurk that dude is washed” began flooding in. Well, he still has one more year left on his deal after this season from the $70 million contract he signed with the Blazers two years ago. So, the only method to part ways with him right now would be a mid-season trade.

Interestingly, many fans believe the Suns cannot win a title with Nurkic as their primary Center, “Nurkic big reason why I don’t think Suns can win it all. He’s the biggest problem for them on offense and defense.”

Yes, he is a veteran in this league with a decent resume. But he is no match to the elite Centers like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Even this season, Nurkic is averaging only 9.9 points. And that lack of scoring could prove costly in the postseason.

Meanwhile, many netizens also commended Kevin Durant for playing the role of a vocal leader and letting Jusuf Nurkic know of his mistake, “This was frustrating to watch… good for KD to call him out.” And one even claimed that the way KD felt is exactly “how the Blazers felt” referring to Nurkic’s seven-year stint in Portland. Well, the Blazers did not achieve much success while Jusuf was with them. And many believe the Suns might be heading toward the same fate.

Yes, the Suns could benefit from getting a more versatile Center. And there have even been speculations about a potential Nikola Vucevic exchange. However, the second apron restrictions do not give Ishbia the flexibility to do so. Moreover, Nurkic is doing a decent job averaging near double-double with 10.2 rebounds. And the Suns might wait till the mid-season trade deadline to see how things pan out with him.

Do you think Ishbia should trade Jusuf Nurkic to boost the team’s chances of winning a championship?