And we’re off. NBA trade season has technically been underway for a while now, but there hasn’t been anything major. Dennis Schroder joined the Golden State Warriors, Dorian Finney-Smith went to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Nick Richards was dealt to the Phoenix Suns, but there hasn’t been anything earth-shattering. Well, the Utah Jazz may have just helped spark the market.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Jazz traded three first-round picks to the Suns in exchange for their 2031 first. Utah sent out picks in 2025, 2027, and 2027. The one in 2025 will be the worst of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, and the latter two will be the worst of the Cavs, Wolves, and Jazz.
It may not seem like much, but the Jazz trading three picks to the Suns may have just kickstarted the real NBA trade season.
Jazz trade with Suns may have kickstarted NBA trade season
Phoenix has been after Jimmy Butler ever since the Miami Heat officially said they would listen to offers. Actually, they wanted Butler before that. But it’s tough for them to make a deal work.
Since the Suns are a second-apron team, the only way they can make a deal is if they send out more than they take back. Plus, they cannot aggregate salaries in a deal. So the only financially-legal way for them to land Butler is to send out Bradley Beal.
But since Beal makes so much money, the Heat don’t want his salary. No one does, really. That’s where the Suns’ trade with the Jazz comes in.
By splitting up one future first into three firsts, the Suns could hypothetically send picks to the Heat and another team—to Miami for Butler and to another team to take on Beal’s contract.
And it’s all because of Utah.
Butler trade rumors have been dominating the NBA landscape for months at this point, but no deal has gotten done. The Suns have been the frontrunner from a rumors perspective, and this could be the thing that helps get a trade across the finish line.
And once a Butler trade goes through, it could be the first domino for a string of moves for the Suns, Heat, and rest of the NBA.
Butler getting traded will signal the peak of trade season, and the Jazz may have helped kickstart it all. A lot still has to happen before Butler can put on the orange and purple, but Utah made it easier for a deal to get done.