There are rumors that the Denver Nuggets could include disgruntled center Jusuf Nurkic in a trade package to offer to the Phoenix Suns for up-and-coming shooting guard Devin Booker.

Nurkic has been Denver's starting center during the team's first 25 games this season and has averaged 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in the said time span. However, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone had chosen to replace him with Nikola Jokic since Dec. 15.

In the first seven games of his demotion, the Bosnian 7-footer has only played three games and 22 minutes. In the last two games, though, he was fielded in for 19 and 21 minutes.

Expectedly, Nurkic had expressed his "unhappiness" with his current role in the squad, as reported by the Denver Post.

"For sure it's tough," said Nurkic. "I'm 23 years old. I'm not here to sit on the bench. I'm here to play basketball. And it's a tough decision for me, from a starting spot and 20 minutes to four straight (games of not playing). You control what you control, and I let my agent do the rest of the stuff."

It should be noted that even when Nurkic was starting, Jokic is still getting the better share of the minutes even as the backup. Nurkic was able to play more than 30 minutes only once during the said 25-game span.

"I'm going to do what I can do; come here, work every day hard and be professional like I should be," Nurkic said.

With his current struggle for minutes, speculations abound that Denver could be looking to trade the young center.

Fansided suggested that the Nuggets could send Nurkic and this year's seventh overall pick, Jamal Murray, to the Suns for Booker.

While it is highly unlikely that Phoenix will let go of Booker, who is reportedly being groomed by the ballclub to be their next franchise player, the package of Nurkic and Murray could be too good to pass up.

Nurkic and Murray are two young players who have the potential to grow together to become one of the best inside-outside combinations in the league in the future.