The Phoenix Suns entered the 2025 offseason in need of significant patchwork after parting ways with the likes of Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Tyus Jones. The front office has been active on that front, adding the likes of Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and Mark Williams.
The quiet addition who could prove overwhelmingly significant, however, is Jared Butler—a diamond in the rough with untapped potential.
Butler, 25, has followed a long and winding path to his current opportunity with the Suns. Despite winning the 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player award and an NCAA Championship, he was a second-round draft pick and received limited playing time with the Utah Jazz.
Now on his fifth team in five years, it's difficult to look at the surface of this story and claim that Butler is an impact player.
2024-25 was a career year for Butler, however, as he thrived with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards. He found his jump shot, emerged as a high-level facilitator, and showcased the two-way ability that made him a champion with the Baylor Bears.
For a Suns team that needs to replace Jones and alleviate the playmaking burden from Devin Booker and Green, Butler could prove invaluable.
Suns struck gold by signing underrated point guard Jared Butler
Butler played 60 games in 2024-25, setting a new career high in the process—a testament to how limited his opportunities have been. He also played 17.2 minutes per contest, which was also a personal best—as well as an opportunity he made the most of.
Butler played well with both Philadelphia and Washington, accumulating averages of 9.0 points, 3.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 1.0 three-point field goal made on .448/.355/.824 shooting.
Those numbers may not jump off the page, but they translate to 18.7 points, 7.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.1 three-point field goal made per 36 minutes. That's right in line with Butler's career averages of 17.4 points, 7.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 2.1 three-point field goals made per 36.
In other words: Butler's quiet ascension with the 76ers and Wizards was a direct result of an increase in playing time rather than an unsustainable twist of fate.
Butler offers a bit of everything on offense, both with and without the ball in his hands. He can space the floor with reasonable efficiency, creates for teammates with willingness and intent, and is capable of putting points on the board in a relatively dynamic manner.
For a Suns team that's positioning itself to once again overburden its top scorers with the task of playmaking, Butler could prove invaluable.
The obvious asterisk here is that Butler agreed to a non-guaranteed deal and thus lacks the stability one would've thought his play warranted. In saying that, Phoenix has every reason to explore his potential as it stares down the need for reliability at point guard.
If Butler is given a fair chance, then there's a realistic possibility that he could become the exact type of player the Suns need in 2025-26.