Suns' Future Even Murkier after Missing out on Jimmy Butler

What direction do the Suns go in after Jimmy Butler ended up on the Warriors?

Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) warms-up before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- After months of rumors tying Jimmy Butler to a potential trade to Phoenix, he ended up being traded to the Golden State Warriors less than 24 hours before the trade deadline.

A lot of factors were at play in the Suns' unsuccessful pursuit of Butler.

The most notable element was not being able to find a third or fourth team to take on Bradley Beal's contract and for him to waive his no-trade clause to, as the Miami Heat were always known to be unwilling to trade for him.

In the days leading up to the final trade, it suddenly became a strong rumor that Kevin Durant could be on his way out for Butler -- first reportedly in a three-team deal where Durant ended up on the Warriors, which ultimately got shut down because he did not want to return to Golden State, and then a potential trade where Durant landed on the Heat.

Now, according to multiple reports Durant will be staying in Phoenix through today's 1:00 p.m. MST trade deadline.

Evaluating the Botched Butler Trade for the Suns

So was it really a bad thing the Suns ended up not landing Butler?

Phoenix is currently 25-25 on the season after a 31-point loss to the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder last night, so it is and has been hard to imagine one player completely fixing its roster.

Giving up Beal for Butler made sense because of how Beal's role has clearly not worked out for the Suns, but trading away Durant for Butler would have made little sense because, depending on the full return, the Suns would have been stuck in relatively the same timeline without their best player this season in Durant.

The second-tax apron is also to blame because the Suns are unable to aggregate salaries in trades and take back more money than they send out, so it makes it very hard to just pitch one player not named Durant or Devin Booker considering the three years and $150-plus million left on Beal's contract.

With that said, it is unclear what the Suns do before the deadline because they are far and away from being a contender.

They have very little time left to try to get a smaller trade done, but it seemed obvious that they should have some on the back burner in case things fell apart. Phoenix has three more players in Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale that could bring back some value, especially with it owning first-round picks for the next five years that it can attach to trades.

If the Suns are serious about winning now, all three of these players and the picks should be on the table if they can bring back meaningful value.

It also sets them up for a precarious position for the future that Durant was seriously involved in trade rumors, despite him wanting to stay in Phoenix. With only one more year on his contract, how likely is it that he signs an extension this summer?

Especially with Booker in his prime, the future in general is severely murky because of how much Mat Ishbia and the front office invested into this team, and it has clearly not paid off. Making no more moves so far in this week leading up to the deadline leaves fans with a lot of questions and not a lot of answers about the direction of this team.

We will see what, if anything, happens in the coming hours leading up to the deadline for the Suns.