Happy Thursday! I’m baaaaaaack following an amazing trip with the family. Huge shoutout to Leah for filling in while I was out — it means the world to work with people who you know have your back!

Sooooo….what have I missed? Well, since I last sent you an email on Tuesday, July 15:

• Eugenio Suárez hit five home runs
• The D-backs have yet to make a trade, just one week from the deadline
• The Suns bought out Bradley Beal, claimed Jordan Goodwin off waivers and signed Jared Butler (more on that below)
• Cardinals 2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen is already dealing with a calf injury

So much happening as July begins to wind down — just wait until fall gets here!

On to the show!

Suns Fill Critical Gaps on Active Wednesday

The Suns have been super active all offseason, so why stop now?

Phoenix made two solid depth moves yesterday, first claiming guard Jordan Goodwin off waivers from the Lakers before later signing Jared Butler to a one-year deal of his own. ESPN NBA insider Shame Charania was the first to report both moves.

Though the Suns’ backcourt doesn’t exactly jump off the page, it’s a heck of a lot deeper than it was on Tuesday, as the moves addressed the team’s glaring need at point guard.

Meet The Newest (Returning) Sun: Jordan Goodwin

Goodwin originally played 40 games with the Suns in 2023-24 after joining the team as part of the now-infamous Bradley Beal trade. Phoenix has since waived Beal following an unsuccessful Big 3 experiment, but Goodwin has found his way back after Los Angeles waived him earlier this week.

He averaged five points in 14 minutes with the Suns that season before being traded to Brooklyn as part of the Royce O’Neal deal. Goodwin ultimately finished that season with Memphis.

He played just 29 games with the Lakers last year, initially signing a two-way deal with them in February before inking a standard contract with the team in March. Goodwin averaged 5.6 points, 1.4 assists, 3.9 blocks, one steal and 18.7 minutes over that span.

He has averaged 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 150 career games.

Meet The Newest Sun: Jared Butler

OK, so this wasn’t the J. Butler fans were clamoring for prior to last season’s trade deadline, but it’s still a quality addition given the pool of available players. Butler was taken 40th overall by the Pelicans in 2021, and has averaged 6.7 points, 2.8 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 148 career games.

The Suns will be his fifth team in as many seasons, and the former Baylor standout appeared in 60 games last year, the final 28 of which came with Philadelphia. Butler put up his most impressive numbers to date with the 76ers, starting 17 games while averaging 11.5 points, 4.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 24.4 minutes per game.

He also recorded a career-best 26 points during his time with the Wizards last season (ironically against Philly), and has recorded 21-or-more points six times in his 148-game career.

My take: Look, this isn’t exactly a roster constructed to compete for a title, but it’s honestly a solid start. Say what you will about general manager Brian Gregory, he has seemingly made all the right moves early in his tenure as GM after inheriting a mess that included no head coach (again), disgruntled players, and a team payroll that was essentially maxed out.

It’s too early to say whether or not the Suns’ boss has hit home runs, but it’s impossible to deny that he has definitely notched a few extra-base hits. He hired an up-and-coming star in the coaching ranks, maximized any return in the Kevin Durant trade, put together a stellar draft, and has addressed huge holes at both the center and point guard positions.

There’s a long way to go, but it’s hard to be mad at what Gregory has done to this point. To the contrary, I’m quite impressed.

Back Down to Earth: Things started so well following the All-Star break, but the D-backs came crashing back down to earth following yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the Astros. The defeat secured a three-game sweep at the hands of Houston, and Arizona now hits the road to face the red-hot Pirates, who just swept the AL Central-leading Tigers.

The Diamondbacks play nine straight on the road before returning to Chase Field on August 4, and the team will likely look much different after the July 31 trade deadline.

It’s Too Early For This: How in the world are injuries already piling up for the Cardinals? First-round pick Walter Nolen will not debut in training camp due to a calf injury — the extent of which is not yet known — while Bilal Nichols and B.J. Ojulari also aren’t ready after injuries sustained prior to, or during, last season. Heal up soon, gents!

Bittersweet Dream: The Mercury fell 90-79 to the Atlanta Dream in front of a sellout crowd at home last night, which also marked Britney Griner’s return to Phoenix. DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury with 18 points, while Griner showed out with 17 points in 26 minutes. It was a memorable night, despite the outcome.

Also, check out Brendon’s most recent post, which looks at how Nate Tibbetts has transformed the Mercury. Good stuff!

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

I honestly can’t imagine going to work every day while my bosses were talking about trading me to another company 😅