Suns unbelievably lose draft pick for tampering with Drew Eubanks

The Phoenix Suns signed free agent forward Drew Eubanks to a veteran minimum contract this summer, a two-year deal with a player option worth about $5 million. Eubanks started 28 games for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022-23, averaging 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while appearing in 78 games.

Somehow, that performance inspired the Suns to break the NBA's rules and contact Eubanks early to recruit him to join their new Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The NBA's investigation concluded that Phoenix talked to Eubanks "prior to the date when such discussions were permitted" and docked them a second-round pick.

It's a blow to Phoenix, who made a trade with Orlando this summer to acquire more second-round picks to replace draft capital lost in the trades for Durant and Beal. The Suns sent out four first-round picks, six second-round picks and five first-round pick swaps in the blockbuster deals, but got back three second-rounders from Orlando in a creative trade in which the Magic received a secondary first-round pick swap in 2026.

Now one of those picks, the Denver Nuggets' second-round selection in 2024, has been forfeited. The Suns claim it was an honest mistake and that the violation was "inadvertant." 

Last year, the New York Knicks lost a second-rounder for tampering with Jalen Brunson. The Philadelphia 76ers lost two second-round picks for tampering with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House. In 2020, the NBA fined the Milwaukee Bucks a second-round pick for tampering with Bogdan Bogdanovic, who didn't even sign with their team. But Eubanks is probably the worst NBA player ever to draw such a dramatic penalty and almost certainly the first one on a minimum deal.

The irony is that the Suns traded for the forfeited pick so they'd have assets at the trade deadline  to get someone better than Eubanks. Instead, they've lost a crucial piece of trade bait because they tried to sign a minimum contract too early. It's an inauspicious start for new owner Mat Ishbia's tenure in Phoenix.