The Phoenix Suns may have started the regular season 1-2, but that doesn't mean head coach Jordan Ott is anywhere close to figuring out his rotations in The Valley. The inability of Mark Williams to appear in back-to-backs sure doesn't help, while Jalen Green has yet to suit up at all this season. When he does come back, the coaching staff will immediately have a Grayson Allen problem to solve.
With three rookies and a pair of returning sophomores to fit into the puzzle, it is little wonder that the franchise cut some players from their final roster ahead of the regular season. The last to be let go with point guard Jared Butler, despite putting up 35 against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game that was his final act as a Sun.
Butler off to Serbia to continue professional career.
The 25-year-old was one of the bright spots of preseason play, but he ultimately lost out on a spot in Phoenix to Jordan Goodwin. With his fellow point guard barely featuring for the Suns so far this season, we felt it was harsh but ultimately made sense that Butler was let go. He was unlikely to be given a real chance to impress. Butler himself reached out to us, and he disagreed.
Bad take
— Jared Butler (@J_Hooper11) October 26, 2025
The former Baylor standout hasn't taken long to find a new home however, and he's headed to European powerhouse KK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) of Serbia. A team that already has names familiar to NBA fans, including Isaiah Canaan and Jordan Nwora. Butler will also be able to count Devonte' Graham as a teammate once he is also cleared to play.
This is a smart move from Butler, who surely could have walked onto a number of G League rosters, and most likely an NBA team proper later in the season once the inevitable injuries had struck. Instead he's signed a two-year deal that surely has a get out clause if the right opportunity presents itself back in the United States, although the player himself said he wants to be there for "a long time".
Butler needs only look at current Sun Nigel Hayes-Davis, to see that what he is doing now is a viable route back to the league. Hayes-Davis was a EuroBasket Final Four MVP, and went down a legend with Turkish club Fenerbahçe. He too wasn't given much of a chance in the NBA before heading to Europe, and it took him over five years to work his way back.
But the smart money is on Butler doing the same thing, if he's not called upon before then. He's simply too quick and offensively gifted, and is going to tear it up in Europe. Suns fans were split on whether or not to keep him around, and it is true he is an easy target defensively. Butler is clearly backing himself, and after what he showed us for a brief moment, it is not hard to see why.