The Phoenix Suns addressed their lacking point guard depth by reportedly adding former Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jared Butler.
The one year deal was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
It’s the second signing to the Suns backcourt on Wednesday after they reportedly signed Jordan Goodwin earlier in the day.
Goodwin and Butler are expected to compete for a spot in the Suns rotation next season.
EuroLeague teams Partizan and Olympiacos were both targeting Butler to head overseas this offseason, according to Serbian sports outlet Telesport.
Butler, a 6-foot-3 guard who was the 40th overall pick in 2021, had his most significant NBA run last year with the Sixers.
He started in 17 of 28 games played after being dealt from the Washington Wizards and averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists with 1.1 steals and 43% shooting over 24 minutes.
Butler took 4.6 attempts from 3-point range and hit 35% of them.
Before that tenure with Philadelphia, Butler played for the Wizards (2023-25), Oklahoma City Thunder (2022-23) and Utah Jazz (2021-22).
Butler developed into an NBA-level prospect at Baylor as an undersized combo guard because of his combination of shooting from deep and gritty defensive play.
Suns’ guard depth still lopsided after Jared Butler signing
Even after the addition, true point guard depth remains shallow compared to the logjam at shooting guard.
Going into 2025-26, Phoenix rosters four shooting guards — Booker, Jalen Green, Grayson Allen and two-way rookie Koby Brea — while Dillon Brooks and Royce O’Neale are shooting guard-sized wings.
It’s been a problem for Phoenix dating back to when it traded Chris Paul for Bradley Beal before the 2023-24 season.
Since then, Devin Booker has been forced to handle much of the playmaking duties, while Tyus Jones is the only true point guard to get regular rotation minutes over a season for the Suns.
Jordan Goodwin, Saben Lee, Theo Maledon, Isaiah Thomas, Gillespie, Monte Morris, TyTy Washington Jr. and Vasilije Micic are the other point guards who have seen limited run in that span, with Gillespie catching on the most.
The Suns’ waive-and-stretch of Beal this offseason not only opened a roster spot — the Suns still have one left after the Butler signing — but allowed Phoenix to utilize the midlevel and biannual exceptions that it did not have the last two years while operating above the second apron.
