Jazz Trade Collin Sexton to Hornets for Jusuf Nurkić, Sources Confirm
The Utah Jazz have traded Collin Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Jusuf Nurkić, with a future second-round pick also heading to Charlotte, sources confirm to The Athletic.
Sexton, 26, has averaged 18.8 points per game over seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz, and has a career 38.7% shooting rate from beyond the arc. His best season came in 2020-21 with Cleveland, when he posted an impressive 24.3 points per game.
The 7-foot, 290-pound Nurkić, a veteran of 11 seasons, has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and now Charlotte. Over his career, he has averaged 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
What’s Next for Both Teams?
While Sexton is often seen as having a larger gap between fan perception and how coaches and executives view him, he is still valued highly in certain metrics, being pegged at $22 million for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Nurkić is valued at $12 million. Both players have expiring contracts for similar amounts, so the trade wasn’t driven by financial reasoning alone. The Jazz adding a second-round pick to the deal suggests they may have overpaid for Nurkić’s services.
This trade is likely just the beginning for both teams. Utah now has a crowded frontcourt but a thin guard rotation, while Charlotte has added a perimeter scorer to complement LaMelo Ball, but they’re left without a clear starting center. Both teams could make more moves as their offseasons unfold.
Both players are also eligible for contract extensions, so it will be interesting to see if their new teams view them as key long-term pieces.
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