It’s no secret that the Suns have been scouring the league, looking for a three- or four-team trade in which they can send out Bradley Beal and bring back Jimmy Butler (or, if not that, trade Jusuf Nurkic or other role players for win-now upgrades).
One thing holding Phoenix back is that it had only one first-round pick — its 2031 pick — as a sweetener in any deal.
Phoenix opened up the door to future trades with a deal that will send out that 2031 pick unprotected for three picks from the Utah Jazz, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by the teams. Those three picks are:
• 2025: least favorable of Cleveland or Minnesota
• 2027 least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah
• 2029 least favorable of Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah
Danny Ainge and Utah are betting against Phoenix. The Jazz saw a higher upside in the potential of that 2031 pick — very likely after Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are gone from the Subns — than a pick that will be in the late 20s in 2025 (almost certainly Cleveland’s) and likely in the 20s each of those future years.
For Phoenix, this is about what it opens up today — they can now trade these picks or their own through 2030, although the Suns’ own picks all have swap rights belonging to Washington or other teams. This means the Suns can throw more sweeteners into any trade in an effort to get someone to take on a less-than-ideal contract (say Beal’s, which has two years and $110 million owed after this season).
This is absolutely a prelude to another trade. That trade is not necessarily for Jimmy Butler, even though he has made it clear he wants to go to Phoenix and the Suns want him. To make any Butler deal work, the Suns have to trade away Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause allowing him to veto any deal. If the Suns can find a team Beal is open to going to and one that will take him as a third party in a trade, that team will want a lot of sweeteners. For example, first-round draft picks. Phoenix can offer those now in a way they could not before.
Under Mat Ishbia, the Suns have made moves about the short term and winning now, and this fits in with that. Danny Ainge and the Jazz are playing the long game — the guys at the top of that 2031 draft board are likely in seventh grade right now.
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