The Phoenix Suns on Friday released guards Jared Butler and David Duke Jr., a final clean-up move to finalize the roster for the 2025-26 season.
Butler signed a non-guaranteed deal to fight for a roster spot with Phoenix, which needed traditional backup point guard options to support a starting lineup headlined by Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
But Butler had an uphill battle, with returnee Collin Gillespie and waiver signing Jordan Goodwin bringing more defense-first skillsets. The same was true of Duke, who got a training camp look after playing on a San Antonio Spurs two-way contract last year.
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Gillespie appears to have earned an opportunity for rotation minutes, while Goodwin and Butler seemed to be fighting for the final roster spot.
Still, Butler made a case to make the roster on his $2.5 million deal, finishing his four preseason games played as the team’s second-leading scorer (15.5 points) behind Booker.
The point guard shot 47% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range while also averaging 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals in just 20.9 minutes per game.
Ultimately, Phoenix will have fine depth at guard with Grayson Allen also expected to eat up playing time alongside Booker and Green.
The decision also opens an extra roster spot without a salary, giving the Suns flexibility to take on an extra player in a future trade.
Jared Butler’s career before joining the Suns
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).
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