Suns let Jimmy Butler letdown stop them from making the logical sacrifice

The 2025 NBA trade deadline officially came and went, and the Phoenix Suns didn't land Jimmy Butler.

Phoenix had a master plan to pair Butler with their superstar duo, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, despite well-documented mutual interest, financial limitations caused the deal to hinge on whether Bradley Beal would waive his no-trade, which he firmly didn't do.

But the complex situation didn't stop the Suns from relentlessly pursuing Butler. They were deeply invested in bringing the disgruntled Miami Heat franchise centerpiece to Phoenix before he ultimately got sent to the Golden State Warriors.

Things reached a point where the Suns perplexingly considered a swap centered around sending Durant to Miami for Butler. Frankly, the idea never made much (if any) sense for Phoenix, so they dodged a bullet. While they're both high-end talents, the former is an all-time great. No disrespect to the latter, but there are levels to this.

Nonetheless, getting lost in the madness was a prime opportunity for Phoenix to reset the table by exiting the Durant business entirely. While doing so wouldn't have been the popular decision and turned heads for the wrong reasons, it was a necessary evil for the Suns.

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Suns let whiffing on Jimmy Butler stop them from making the logical sacrifice of trading Kevin Durant

The optics of parting ways with one of the best players in league history will always generate public discourse and backlash. Yet, the Suns had a chance to maximize their value for Durant before the final year of his contract in 2025-26.

Regardless of how great Durant is, he'll be 37 next season and playing on an expiring pact, barring an extension. If the Suns wanted to recoup anything close to the haul they gave up to acquire him, the time to move the 15-time All-Star was now. His game is aging gracefully, but Father Time remains undefeated, making this subject to change.

Conversely, Phoenix suddenly finds itself in a position where they must consider re-signing Durant or risk losing him for nothing. Ironically, the Suns may end up further down the rabbit hole rather than gaining more long-term financial flexibility and draft capital/young talent by re-routing KD. And that's all because they failed to capitalize on the option Butler presented them.