Every draft pick the Phoenix Suns can trade right now

The Phoenix Suns don't figure to be major players between now and the trade deadline in February, but that hasn't stopped their name getting brought up in Jimmy Butler rumors. The Miami Heat star seems up for leaving South Beach, and the Suns continue to get name-checked as one of the destinations he would prefer to land.

The odds of that actually happening are slim - not least because Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause - and it is more likely Butler or the Heat are trying to use the Suns' name to leverage other organizations into acting more urgently and meeting the team's asking price. The Suns, for their part, have distanced themselves from the 35-year-old.

The list of draft picks available to the Suns isn't great either.

Being over the second apron, there aren't many ways for this franchise to improve significantly between now and February. They also have a number of individuals who they could and should be looking to trade, but all they can hope to get back is another player on a minimum deal.

Draft picks would sweeten the deal, only they don't have that many to include in any deal. They're mostly made up of second rounders as well - and although a number of those helped the team land David Roddy and Royce O'Neale at the deadline last year - they alone don't represent real value in the league. This is what the front office are working with over the coming months.

2. 2031 First Round Pick

By far the most valuable trade asset the Suns have right now is a first round pick in 2031. What makes it ao valuable? By the time that year rolls around, Kevin Durant is going to be retired a number of years. So could Beal, given his injury history at only 31-years-old. Devin Booker will be 35-years-old, and there is no telling where he'll be at in his career at that point.

The rest of their first round picks between now and then are owed to the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, or else are tied up in swap deals with the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and even Memphis Grizzlies given the slew of trades they've been involved in to get to this point. Grim. Which is why it holds such value.

It is hard to think of any scenario in which giving this pick up makes any kind of sense, because it is the one beacon of light for their future that they need to cling onto. The Suns have also done well in drafting Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro and Toumani Camara in the last couple of years - and after years of whiffs - are developing something of a track record of identifying the right talent.

That's not to say this pick won't be moved though. If owner Mat Ishbia identifies an opportunity, he has already shown he will put his money where his mouth it. They're on course to pay over $440 million in salary and luxury tax, the largest combined amount in league history. The deal has to be right, and this pick is one of the clear ways to get a trade done.

1. Second Round Picks in 2026 & 2031

You are reading that correctly, that is everything the Suns have at their disposal right now. Complicating matters that bit further is the fact two of these three secound rounders are in 2031, the same year as their first. If the organization has entered a full-on rebuild, having three picks in that draft would seem the ideal way to begin to rebuild the foundations again.

The second round pick for next season has some intrigue - albeit minimal - because other teams are already doing their homework on this upcoming draft class. If there is one thing contenders have shown the league in the last couple of seasons, it is that you can get end of the bench value on a cheap deal through the second round.

Not that other franchises are going to be knocking down the door to take this from the Suns. The most likely course of action here is that the pick is attached to a player like Josh Okogie or Grayson Allen to get a deal done. In Okogie's case it is because his value alone isn't going to allow the Suns to access the kind of player they'd envision who they could actually add to their rotation.

In Allen's case, it would be to sweeten a potential trade to get it over the line. Allen certainly does have value - not to mention he's only in the first year of a new contract - which would allow a potential suitor to have his deal under control for the next three seasons. Can the front office do anything with these picks? They somehow landed Durant, Beal and Chris Paul, so anything is possible.