The Phoenix Suns might be in a tough spot roster construction wise thanks to the mistakes of the past, but it is not all bad.
The franchise can at least trade some players this offseason if they want to, while they also have the capability to extend Mark Williams and bring back both Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
Missing out on Jimmy Butler best thing that happened to Suns
All of this is possible because of the failed trade deadline move when Kevin Durant was still in town to ship him back to the Golden State Warriors and land Jimmy Butler (III as he's going by these days) from the Miami Heat.
We know what happened next. Butler was supposedly eager for the move because Suns' owner Mat Ishbia was willing to give him a hefty new contract, but it was Durant's refusal to go back to San Francisco that blew the whole thing up. Credit to Ishbia for not sending him there against his will, star players notice things like that when deciding where to play next.
Butler ended up going to the Warriors himself, and subsequently found himself getting injured at the worst times. Not that this would have happened if he'd gone to The Valley, but at 36-years-old and given the way he plays, it shouldn't have come as a surprise.
Not getting stuck with an ageing star to pair next to Devin Booker, missing out on both Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green in the process, has ended up working out brilliantly. The Suns remain far away from contention, but they'd be no closer with Butler and would struggle to trade him in order to improve the roster.
Brooks is coming off a career year while Green still has some value around the league, which gives Phoenix an out of sorts with this current roster.
The organization also landed a long-term center prospect in Khaman Maluach from the Durant trade with the Houston Rockets, which again doesn't happen if Butler is in town. Missing out on the best available star hurt at the time, but it has turned into a huge blessing in disguise for this team.
There's no telling how the veteran Butler would have worked next to a first time head coach in Jordan Ott, and his desire to win a ring could have seen him become a problem. A lucky escape for the front office, because we know they pushed hard to get this deal done at the time.
