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Naji Marshall of the Dallas Mavericks punches Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns suffered a double whammy as they lost veteran center Jusuf Nurkić for the next three games for his role in the brawl that hastened their 98-89 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, December 27, at home.
On Saturday, December 28, the NBA went down hard on the Suns center and Mavericks forward Naji Marshall for exchanging blows.
Nurkić was hit with a three-game suspension without pay for his role in the on-court altercation. Marshall took the biggest hit with a four-game suspension without pay.
Mavericks forward P.J. Washington also received a one-game suspension without pay for “escalating the on-court altercation,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, announced in a statement.
The incident occurred with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter after Nurkić committed an offensive foul for elbowing Dallas center Daniel Gafford.
Marshall and Nurkić came face to face in an on-court altercation that quickly escalated when the Bosnian big man swung and struck Marshall on top of his head.
Marshall responded by throwing a punch that connected with Nurkić’s face before officials could separate both players.
Washington joined the fracas by shoving Nurkić to the ground.
All three players were ejected.
Marshall drew the stiffest suspension as he “attempted to further engage Nurkić in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms,” Dumars said in the statement.
Losing Nurkić is a massive blow to the Suns, who have lost four of their last five games. Nurkić is the Suns’ leading rebounder, averaging 9.5 per game on top of 8.8 points and 1.9 assists.
Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro will see an increased role in Nurkić’s absence.
Jusuf Nurkić Misses Clash Against Old Nemesis
Nurkić will start serving his suspension during the Suns’ December 28 visit to Golden State to face the Warriors.
It would have been the only second meeting between Nurkić and his old nemesis, Warriors veteran Draymond Green, with whom he clashed last season.
Green was suspended indefinitely, which lasted 16 games last season, for hitting Nurkić in the head during the Suns-Warriors clash in December last year.
They traded heated words not only on the court but also on social media in the aftermath of the incident.
Green has yet to react to Nurkić’s suspension.
The suspension will cost Nurkić $375,000 of his salary, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
Suns ‘Actively Shopping’ Jusuf Nurkić
Even before the latest on-court altercation involving Nurkić, the Suns have been “actively shopping” him ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
Rankin named Washington Wizards big Jonas Valančiūnas and Chicago Bulls former All-Star center Nikola Vučević as the Suns’ potential trade candidates to replace Nurkić. But there are great hurdles the Suns are facing in their bid to trade Nurkić, NBA insider Marc Stein noted in his Substack newsletter.
“The new rules, however, prevent Phoenix from taking back more cash in a trade than it sends out. Nurkić is playing on 2024-25 salary of $18.1 million. Vučević is making $20 million this season. That’s an easy match under the NBA’s longstanding old rules, but the Suns can’t swap Nurkić for Vučević now even if they were willing to attach every ounce of draft capital they possess. They also can’t combine salaries in any trade, which rules out adding a minimum salary to the deal to ensure they exceed Vučević’s $20 million,” Stein wrote.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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