The Utah Jazz have traded guard Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday in exchange for center Jusuf Nurkic, multiple reports say.
Sexton, 26, was one of the key pieces acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 17.5 points per game in his three seasons in Utah, splitting time between starting and coming off the bench.
While he took strides as a Jazz player, eventually earning Jazz coach Will Hardy’s trust, he entered his prime as the Jazz entered a rebuild. As a result, the Jazz frequently chose to sit him out of games he could have played, holding back his career somewhat.
Still, when Sexton played, he brought a competitive fire to the team that was unmatched.
Nurkic, meanwhile, played 51 games last season split across the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets after a seven-year stint with the Portland Trail Blazers. Once considered an above-average starting center, Nurkic’s output has declined in recent years, and he averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season.
The Bosnian center took significant blame for the downturn of the Suns last season, but Phoenix also didn’t improve after trading Nurkic away and acquiring the Hornets’ previous center, Nick Richards.
The pick the Jazz traded away is the more favorable of the Jazz’s and Clippers’ selections in 2030, according to NBA reporter Jake Fischer.
Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge declined to discuss the deal at the news conference introducing Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr., and John Tonje on Sunday afternoon, perhaps because the deal has not been finalized by the league office.
