Report: Hawks spoke to Suns about Nurkic trade

The Atlanta Hawks may be looking for a new addition at the five.

The Hawks are among multiple teams that've spoken to the Phoenix Suns about a possible trade for 7-foot center Jusuf Nurkic, sources told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

Atlanta could use the size right now. Starting center Clint Capela is set to miss his second straight contest Thursday due to back spasms. The Hawks will also reportedly be without rising forward Jalen Johnson for the rest of the campaign after he suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Capela and Johnson have been Atlanta's best rebounders this season, combining for 19 of the team's 45.4 boards per game. The pair also played 639 minutes together, the seventh-most of any two-man lineup in Atlanta and the third-most of those not featuring Trae Young.

Nurkic, averaging 9.2 rebounds this season, last appeared in a Phoenix game on Jan. 7, when he played 19 minutes off the bench against the Charlotte Hornets. Over the past 10 contests, the Bosnian missed six games due to the flu and was a healthy scratch in four outings, as head coach Mike Budenholzer opted for a center rotation featuring recent trade acquisition Nick Richards, Mason Plumlee, and rookie Oso Ighodaro.

Nurkic said Saturday it was "hard to understand" why the Suns removed him from the rotation. He also admitted to not having a relationship with Budenholzer but said he has nothing against the coach.