Hard as it might be to remember, there was a time for the Phoenix Suns at the deadline last season when they were getting heavily linked with Jimmy Butler. If you were to believe the rumors, it was only Kevin Durant's reluctance to go back to the Golden State Warriors that stopped Butler coming to The Valley from the Miami Heat, and he ended up with the Warriors himself instead.
Phoenix could then only look on as Butler became the spark plug in San Francisco that it was hoped he'd be for them, propelling them to the second round to the postseason. That an older group like the Warriors made new Suns recruit Jalen Green look ordinary for most of the series is a worry, especially when you consider what the front office apparently has in store for him this coming year.
Missing out on Butler ended up being the best thing for the Suns.
Trying to add Butler - and moving on from Durant in the process - was done at a time when owner Mat Ishbia was still clearly all in on trying to win despite being in the second apron. It is also why he gave the green light to break up a first round pick to ditch Jusuf Nurkic, which we now know was a disastrous decision to make given what would come next.
It was also known that one of Butler's main reasons for wanting to join the Suns - outside of having a chance to in theory compete next to Devin Booker and Bradley Beal - was that the organization was willing to give him the long-term contract he craved. But with Beal having recently been bought out and the Suns moving more into rebuild than re-tool, what a mistake that would have been.
Imagine being stuck with a 35-year-old Butler - who was injured by the time the Warriors' season ended - and who in the postseason plays with a ridiculous intensity. The prospect of his new deal kicking in this season - having also given Booker another $145 million - would have set the Suns back years.
BREAKING: Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker has agreed to a two-year, $145 million maximum contract extension with the franchise through the 2029-30 season, the highest annual extension salary in NBA history, CAA’s Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/A5U5VPlSgx
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 10, 2025
As it is they are on the back foot trying to build another competitive roster around Booker this decade, but that would have been a death blow. You could even argue that buying out Beal at that point wouldn't even have been the right move, as the fit with Butler alongside him is better and it makes them a more balanced two-way group capable of winning games.
To recap then, trading for Butler would have lost the Suns Durant, the chance to add Green, Dillon Brooks, Khaman Maluach, Koby Brea and Rasheer Fleming, plus it could have also seen Beal stick around for a while longer as well. You can count your lucky stars that Durant didn't want to go to San Francisco, otherwise the next five years would have been a rap in The Valley.