The Phoenix Suns have officially set the standard for activity ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. With the ink still drying on the Nick Richards deal, Phoenix struck in a way that was equally as baffling as it was intriguing.
The immediate takeaway is that the Suns could soon trade for heavily rumored target Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, but there's another possibility to consider.
Phoenix is in the midst of a frustrating season, with a 21-21 record perfectly summarizing the events thus far. The Suns were riding high at 9-2, fell as far as three games below .500, and are seemingly getting back on track having gone 5-2 over their past seven outings.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Suns have taken the next step toward salvaging their dreams of contending with a draft-heavy trade one has to see to believe.
The Phoenix Suns are trading their 2031 unprotected first to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, sources tell ESPN. The Suns are acquiring the least favorable firsts in 2025 of Cleveland/Minnesota, 2027 of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah and 2029 of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 22, 2025
Having acquired three future first-round draft picks, the Suns are now expected to make their move for Butler. Another possibility, however, is to finally offload Jusuf Nurkic's salary.
Fascinating deal. Gives the Suns more ammo to do whatever they want, even aside from Jimmy Butler, such as flipping the Nurkic salary. And Utah gets one of the NBA’s highest value long term picks.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 22, 2025
No matter what the Suns do, they've officially loaded up on resources in a way that should enable them to make the splash they're hoping to ahead of the trade deadline.
Suns can now trade for Jimmy Butler or offload Jusuf Nurkic
A trade for Butler is the more likely outcome, as the Suns officially have the resources to meet the modern standard for a star-driven trade. It remains to be seen whether Bradley Beal will waive his no-trade clause, but the deal with Utah has created the necessary infrastructure for a considerable offer.
As for the Jazz, they're hoping Phoenix will crash and burn, thus transforming the 2031 first-round draft pick into an avenue to landing a star-caliber talent.
The process of avoiding the fate that Danny Ainge is anticipating, however, could soon begin. For one, the Suns could hold on to the three first-round draft picks, utilizing them to find rotation-caliber players to feature and develop on rookie-scale deals.
More likely given the current nature of Phoenix's roster and general team-building strategy, however, is that Nurkic could finally be on his way out.
Nurkic has become one of the most polarizing figures in the Suns' rotation. He's still an elite rebounder who can score from the post and create for others, but his defensive flaws have been magnified on a team that isn't exactly locking opponents down around him.
The issue with moving on from Nurkic: He's owed $18,125,000 in 2024-25 and has a fully-guaranteed salary worth $19,375,000 for the 2025-26 season.
Thankfully, the Suns have acquired the type of assets that could make trading Nurkic a realistic endeavor. It remains unclear whether the Heat would be willing to take him back in a Butler trade, but options now exist for Phoenix to improve their on-court quality and financial future in one fell swoop.
All eyes will be on Butler from this point forward, but shedding Nurkic's salary has officially become a realistic dream scenario.