The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz made a unique trade Tuesday night in which no players had to pack their bags and change uniforms.
The Suns and Jazz traded only draft picks, which brought Phoenix three protected first-round picks in exchange for their own future unprotected first. In full, Phoenix sent their 2031 unprotected first-round pick and received the least favorable first-round pick in 2025 between the Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves, plus the least favorable firsts in both 2027 and 2029 between Utah, Minnesota and the Cleveland Cavaliers. ESPN's Shams Charania was the first to report the deal.
The Phoenix Suns are trading their 2031 unprotected first to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, sources tell ESPN. The Suns are acquiring the least favorable firsts in 2025 of Cleveland/Minnesota, 2027 of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah and 2029 of Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 22, 2025
With so many picks flying around and not a single player moving, the trade certainly sparks confusion on first glance. Before the trade, the Suns only had one future first-round pick they could trade: the 2031 selection which now belongs to the Jazz. With the move, the Suns tripled their first-round draft capital in one swift move. In exchange, the Jazz get an unprotected pick, hoping Phoenix's 2031 selection becomes the most valuable asset in the deal.
After the trade, NBA insider Marc Stein posted on his X account that the "presumed motivations" for Phoenix to make this move was to increase the Suns' chances of landing disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler in a multi-team trade. The picks-only deal with Utah gives Phoenix numerous first-round picks to use in a potential Butler deal.
Butler's name has been tied to the Suns since he drew a line in the sand and requested a trade from the Heat, which later led to a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
As the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline moves, the Suns put themselves in better position to get Jimmy out of Miami.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Suns May Have Underlying Reason for Draft Pick-Centered Trade With Jazz.
