The Phoenix Suns have been active in the waning days of their 2025 preseason and training camp.
Due to cap considerations, Phoenix appears set on only rostering 14 players as part of its 15-man standard roster. Now, it appears we know which of their training camp signings has made the grade.
Per a Suns press release, Phoenix has cut veteran guard Jared Butler — despite Butler’s 35-point, nine-assist, seven-rebound night against a depleted Los Angeles Lakers squad in a 113-104 victory on Wednesday. The Suns also requested waivers on guard David Duke Jr.
Butler Went Out With a Bang
Butler already has four seasons of NBA experience under his belt, and had no Exhibit 10 language in his non-guaranteed deal with the Suns. He averaged 15.5 points on .471/.353/.667 shooting splits, 4.3 dimes, 3.3 boards and 1.8 steals in just 20.9 minutes of action with the Suns.
A former NCAA champion with Baylor, Butler was selected with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and has suited up for the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Across 148 career NBA games (19 starts), Butler boasts averages of 6.7 points on .450/.341/.818 shooting splits, 2.8 dimes, 1.5 boards and 0.6 steals a night.
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The Suns were far from done, however. A source has informed Spotrac’s Keith Smith that Phoenix has opted to ink Sean McDermott and Nathan Mariano to Exhibit 10 training camp deals. Duke had been on such a contract, too, meaning he’ll likely have an opportunity to join Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate, the Valley Suns.
Should Duke McDermott or Mariano (assuming the latter two are waived before the season, which seems likely) stick with the Valley Suns for at least 60 days, all will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300.
But the Suns also opted to flesh out their suddenly youth-oriented standard roster, too.
Phoenix also made another move on Friday night, opting to retain second-year guard Jordan Goodwin on their 15-man standard roster heading into the 2025-26 regular season next week.
Goodwin, 26, previously spent 40 games with Phoenix in 2023-24. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.6 steals a night for the 49-win Suns that year, but was cut after being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a Feb. deadline deal. He inked first a 10-day deal with Memphis, followed by a two-way agreement. He joined the Lakers on a two-way deal in 2024-25.
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