Kofi Inkoom
The NBA has officially announced that the Phoenix Suns have violated league rules regarding early discussions in free agency. As a result, they will lose a 2024 second-round draft pick.
The investigation focused on potential premature contact with free agent Drew Eubanks, who had recently signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with Phoenix in July.
The league confirmed that the Suns indeed engaged in talks with Eubanks before the official start of free agency.
Shams Charania reported Eubanks’ agreement with Phoenix at 5:05 pm Central time on June 30, just five minutes after the free agency period commenced.
Since Phoenix had already traded away all of its own second-round picks for the next seven years, they will surrender Denver’s 2024 second-round pick, acquired from Orlando in July.
This penalty is similar to what Philadelphia faced, losing two future second-round picks for early contact with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House. New York also gave up a single pick for discussing terms with Jalen Brunson before the start of free agency.
As a result of this, the Suns won’t have an unprotected second-round pick until 2026, impacting their future draft assets. Their future second-round picks are as follows:
– 2024 2nd via Spurs (protected 31-54)
– 2026 2nd via Pistons, Bucks, or Magic
– 2028 2nd via Celtics (protected 31-45)
– 2028 2nd via Grizzlies
– 2029 2nd via Grizzlies
The Phoenix Suns, in response to the NBA’s investigation, released an official statement via X (formerly twitter)
“We are disappointed with the results of the NBA investigation. If there was a violation, it was inadvertent. We are focused on complying with league rules and competing at the highest level every year. With that being said, we accept the penalty from the league and are focused on looking forward to this season.”