Ex-NBA executive says ‘Ishbia Rule’ will definitely be added at some point in future

As has been the modus operandi under team owner Mat Ishbia, the Phoenix Suns recently made a move that could help them in the here and now but come back to bite them down the line.

Earlier this week, the Suns traded their unprotected first-round pick in the year 2031 to the Utah Jazz and received three first-round picks in return that are likely to have less value individually because of where they’ll fall. The reason the deal looks like a win-now move is because it seemingly opens some doors for the Suns if they want to try to make a splash via trade.

Former NBA executive John Hollinger thinks that there will be an “Ishbia Rule” implemented in the league at some point.

“The Stepien Rule prevents teams from trading first-round picks in consecutive years by requiring that they have at least one pick certain to convey in every two-year window,” Hollinger wrote for The Athletic. “However, the loophole for Phoenix is that it doesn’t have to be a team’s own picks. (Side note: We’re definitely getting an ‘Ishbia Rule’ at some point in the next two collective bargaining agreements.)

“Thus, having already traded their firsts in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and pick swaps in 2026, 2028 and 2030, the Suns couldn’t trade any future firsts aside from that 2031 choice. The picks they got from Utah will likely be at the back end of the first round — the worst of Cleveland or Minnesota’s pick in 2025 (so, likely 29th or 30th) and the worst of Cleveland, Utah or Minnesota’s in 2027 and 2029.

“Sidesteppin’ Stepien means everything is back on the table now. The Suns can trade one or more of their swapped picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030, or they can trade one or more of the new picks they got from Utah in 2025, 2027 and 2029. They still can’t move picks in consecutive years, but Phoenix could conceivably mix and match and, for example, trade its swapped pick in 2026 and the pick it received in the Utah trade in 2029.”

Phoenix decimated its first-round draft capital when it traded for the likes of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. Between those two trades, the Suns gave up numerous first-round picks and first-round pick swaps (in addition to other assets).

Unfortunately, Phoenix’s trio of Beal, Durant and Devin Booker has yet to accomplish all that much in their time together. Those three stars been teammates on the Suns for more than one season now, yet the Suns have rarely looked like major threats in the Western Conference.

The team got embarrassed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The squad got swept by a Wolves team that went on to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the year 2004.

The Suns don’t exactly look like a new and improved team so far in the 2024-25 regular season either. Phoenix is just one win above the .500 mark with more than half of its 82-game slate in the books with a record of 22-21.

Furthermore, the team would barely qualify for a play-in spot if the campaign ended today. Phoenix sits as the No. 10 seed in a very competitive Western Conference at this juncture.