2025 Draft Night Picks Discussion

[lilfishi22]

A - draft - center of the future , best center in draft . Fleming some had projected all the way in top 20 . Koby can shoot, and if we can get Nembhard with undrafted I’ll add a +

B - williams trade , hope he can stay healthy, but 2 late first rounders, I don’t care about

Just because he's the best center in the draft, doesn't mean he's going to be a great pro. James Wiseman was projected to be a stud and what happened?

You don't care about late 1st rounders? You think I'm crazy for thinking trading 2 1st rd picks for a guy that probably will be perpetually injured is embarrassing? LOL

There's no guarantees in the NBA. We had the #10 pick and took the BPA there and it just so happens to be the best C prospect in this draft. Maybe he'll end up having a long but not noteworthy career like Biyombo or maybe he's more. Maybe he's out of the league before the end of his rookie contract.

And who knows what those late 1st rounders could've been. Maybe they end up being nothing either.

[SkyBill40]

It's also possible that relationship is broken after they actually traded him only for LA to void the trade.

That's definitely a point of contention for him to be sure. And now that he's here, he'll have four times a year to show them they were wrong. I just hope his health holds and he's able to put in the work and be the gritty banger we've needed since Amare left town. And if he can't be that guy, at least we took steps to protect ourselves moving forward in Maluach.

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Mark Williams is more finesse than power. He makes Ayton look like Shawn Kemp

Now why'd you have to bring my main and fave dude into this only to insult him?

Ayton is ass. Always will be, too. And Kemp, even when out of shape, was better than both those dudes.

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[sunsbum]

Mark Williams is more finesse than power. He makes Ayton look like Shawn Kemp

Objectively not even close to being true.

that’s got to be one of the worst takes Ive ever seen

[Biff]

A - draft - center of the future , best center in draft . Fleming some had projected all the way in top 20 . Koby can shoot, and if we can get Nembhard with undrafted I’ll add a +

B - williams trade , hope he can stay healthy, but 2 late first rounders, I don’t care about

Just because he's the best center in the draft, doesn't mean he's going to be a great pro. James Wiseman was projected to be a stud and what happened?

You don't care about late 1st rounders? You think I'm crazy for thinking trading 2 1st rd picks for a guy that probably will be perpetually injured is embarrassing? LOL

There's no guarantees in the NBA. We had the #10 pick and took the BPA there and it just so happens to be the best C prospect in this draft. Maybe he'll end up having a long but not noteworthy career like Biyombo or maybe he's more. Maybe he's out of the league before the end of his rookie contract.

And who knows what those late 1st rounders could've been. Maybe they end up being nothing either.

Sure, late 1st rounders are no guarantee but I think trading them for a guy that will actually stay on the court seems prudent. Lakers rescinded that trade for a reason. Though they were going to give up more than we were. Williams is likely better than someone drafted end of 1st rd but that only matters if the guy is actually available for more than 41 games a season. If he's going to miss half the year, I'd rather have someone not quite as good but is available for a majority of the year.

[lilfishi22]

Added a poll to grade our draft

[SkyBill40]

Mark Williams is more finesse than power. He makes Ayton look like Shawn Kemp

Objectively not even close to being true.

that’s got to be one of the worst takes Ive ever seen

Pretty sure it was said since it's obvious I'm a fan of Kemp and use a gif of him. Probably done for the purpose of familiar comparison even though it was absurdly ridiculous.

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[lilfishi22]

Just because he's the best center in the draft, doesn't mean he's going to be a great pro. James Wiseman was projected to be a stud and what happened?

You don't care about late 1st rounders? You think I'm crazy for thinking trading 2 1st rd picks for a guy that probably will be perpetually injured is embarrassing? LOL

There's no guarantees in the NBA. We had the #10 pick and took the BPA there and it just so happens to be the best C prospect in this draft. Maybe he'll end up having a long but not noteworthy career like Biyombo or maybe he's more. Maybe he's out of the league before the end of his rookie contract.

And who knows what those late 1st rounders could've been. Maybe they end up being nothing either.

Sure, late 1st rounders are no guarantee but I think trading them for a guy that will actually stay on the court seems prudent. Lakers rescinded that trade for a reason. Though they were going to give up more than we were. Williams is likely better than someone drafted end of 1st rd but that only matters if the guy is actually available for more than 41 games a season. If he's going to miss half the year, I'd rather have someone not quite as good but is available for a majority of the year.

There is absolutely risk in trading for Williams, there's no doubt. I recognise that and I believe our front office does as well. Which is why his price tag was this low. At the end of the day, we needed to shore up our C position moving forward and I think we were able to bring in a combination of proven talent and high potential prospects in the front court over these past day or so. Drafting Maluach who looks like he could be a defensive anchor and Fleming who could be a real threat on both ends of the court (although a little undersized) just gives us a little bit of that extra insurance should Williams not be available.

[alldayeveryday]

After everything this community has endured—from playoff heartbreaks to roster uncertainty—the Suns finally gave us a reason to believe again. In just a few days, they’ve flipped the narrative, adding athleticism, youth, and potential through savvy draft-night moves and trades. With a new young core built around Booker, Phoenix is investing in its future. It's not perfect, and the cap gymnastics are real—but for the first time in a while, it feels like there’s a real plan. Exciting times ahead in the Valley. I'm excited to return to Vegas for Summer League! Hope you all are doing well.

[Qwigglez]

Given what we had I give this draft an A+

Pick 10 - I am not a fan of projects inside the top 10 as I find them to be extremely risky. Suns don't have a good track record of developing bigs as well. Is Mark Williams still the director of the bigs for the Suns? In the last 15 years Ayton was the only big to have success IMO. Having said that, hearing Malauch's interviews and even the small glimpse in the Olympics makes me believe this kid has the fluidity and smoothness to adapt to the NBA.
Where I think Maluach can thrive is in the pick and roll, and even an easy dump off pass from a driving Booker/Green.

Mark Williams trade - I like this a lot. I know he doesn't have a history of being healthy, but is it perhaps just the Hornets organization? Lamelo Ball has only played in 105 games the last 3 seasons out of a possible 246. Gordon Hayward's wife complained about the Hornets at one point in his career too.
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/11/26/gordon-hayward-wife-calls-out-hornets-shoulder-injury-fracture-instagram#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHe%20actually%20has%20a%20fractured,%2Fperson%20you'd%20find.

Back to Mark Williams though, he gives the Suns a starting caliber center, and although his defensive metrics don't look good, I think he may take basketball more seriously playing for the Suns. He's only 23 years old and I think the Suns will likely offer him an extension in the next few days. This contract could be a huge bargain for the Suns.

Pick 31 - First off, I have to tip my hat to the organization for being able to move up and grabbing both pick 31 and 41. Rasheer Fleming looks like a guy that might be able to make an immediate impact, especially since the Suns have a gaping hole at PF. He's a 3 and D guy that looks to have other tools that will improve his game.

Pick 41 - Koby Brea is supposedly the best shooter in the draft. You can always use shooters.

A+ for me. While the Suns do need a PG, I don't think that was as much of a necessity as the other positions the Suns were able to fill.

[One_and_Done]

I'm just not a fan of drafting a 5 with a lotto pick unless he's projected to be much more than a rim roller. Your upside is just so limited.

[Saberestar]

Given what we had I give this draft an A+

Pick 10 - I am not a fan of projects inside the top 10 as I find them to be extremely risky. Suns don't have a good track record of developing bigs as well. Is Mark Williams still the director of the bigs for the Suns? In the last 15 years Ayton was the only big to have success IMO. Having said that, hearing Malauch's interviews and even the small glimpse in the Olympics makes me believe this kid has the fluidity and smoothness to adapt to the NBA.
Where I think Maluach can thrive is in the pick and roll, and even an easy dump off pass from a driving Booker/Green.

Mark Williams trade - I like this a lot. I know he doesn't have a history of being healthy, but is it perhaps just the Hornets organization? Lamelo Ball has only played in 105 games the last 3 seasons out of a possible 246. Gordon Hayward's wife complained about the Hornets at one point in his career too.
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/11/26/gordon-hayward-wife-calls-out-hornets-shoulder-injury-fracture-instagram#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHe%20actually%20has%20a%20fractured,%2Fperson%20you'd%20find.

Back to Mark Williams though, he gives the Suns a starting caliber center, and although his defensive metrics don't look good, I think he may take basketball more seriously playing for the Suns. He's only 23 years old and I think the Suns will likely offer him an extension in the next few days. This contract could be a huge bargain for the Suns.

Pick 31 - First off, I have to tip my hat to the organization for being able to move up and grabbing both pick 31 and 41. Rasheer Fleming looks like a guy that might be able to make an immediate impact, especially since the Suns have a gaping hole at PF. He's a 3 and D guy that looks to have other tools that will improve his game.

Pick 41 - Koby Brea is supposedly the best shooter in the draft. You can always use shooters.

A+ for me. While the Suns do need a PG, I don't think that was as much of a necessity as the other positions the Suns were able to fill.

I agree with everything that you said.

Regarding that game between South Sudan and USA I would add that it gave me the same feeling that got me Luka Doncic against the Thunder when he was just 17 years old.

It was a friendly game and it wasn't a big deal BUT he showed that he belonged to the NBA.

And yeah, no way I am comparing Maluach to Doncic, just that they had a weird opportunity at a super young age of playing against the highest level of players and he played very well being basically kids.

[Slim Charless]

A - draft - center of the future , best center in draft . Fleming some had projected all the way in top 20 . Koby can shoot, and if we can get Nembhard with undrafted I’ll add a +

B - williams trade , hope he can stay healthy, but 2 late first rounders, I don’t care about

Just because he's the best center in the draft, doesn't mean he's going to be a great pro. James Wiseman was projected to be a stud and what happened?

You don't care about late 1st rounders? You think I'm crazy for thinking trading 2 1st rd picks for a guy that probably will be perpetually injured is embarrassing? LOL

There's no guarantees in the NBA. We had the #10 pick and took the BPA there and it just so happens to be the best C prospect in this draft. Maybe he'll end up having a long but not noteworthy career like Biyombo or maybe he's more. Maybe he's out of the league before the end of his rookie contract.

And who knows what those late 1st rounders could've been. Maybe they end up being nothing either.

I was thinking about that Pricthard thing, maybe we can move Greyson+Richards for him and Hauser. Boston needs more shooting and Richards can fill the hole at the 5.

[phnart]

I haven’t trusted the Suns ability to draft a big man since Armon “The Hammer” Gilliam.

[Saberestar]

So we traded in the draft all those 5 2nds that we got from the KD trade.

This is the haul that we got from KD (+#52):

• Jalen Green
• Dillon Brooks
• Khaman Maluach
• Rasheer Fleming
• Koby Brea

I graded the KD trade as a decent...I would say GOOD now.

And we have available for potential trades two 2nds yet.

[MrMiyagi]

So we traded in the draft all those 5 2nds that we got from the KD trade.

This is the haul that we got from KD (+#52):

• Jalen Green
• Dillon Brooks
• Khaman Maluach
• Rasheer Fleming
• Koby Brea

I graded the KD trade as a decent...I would say GOOD now.

And we have available for potential trades two 2nds yet.

I'm not grading that trade until we see our rookies on the court

[BobbieL]

Just because he's the best center in the draft, doesn't mean he's going to be a great pro. James Wiseman was projected to be a stud and what happened?

You don't care about late 1st rounders? You think I'm crazy for thinking trading 2 1st rd picks for a guy that probably will be perpetually injured is embarrassing? LOL

There's no guarantees in the NBA. We had the #10 pick and took the BPA there and it just so happens to be the best C prospect in this draft. Maybe he'll end up having a long but not noteworthy career like Biyombo or maybe he's more. Maybe he's out of the league before the end of his rookie contract.

And who knows what those late 1st rounders could've been. Maybe they end up being nothing either.

I was thinking about that Pricthard thing, maybe we can move Greyson+Richards for him and Hauser. Boston needs more shooting and Richards can fill the hole at the 5.

The Suns need to cut salary. So a couple options

1) you can hamstring yourself for five years - even if Beal accepts an $80-90m buyout to stretch and waive

2) just suck it up with Beal and move on from Grayson O'Neale and Richards for limited dollars coming back

I would do the second. The Suns can set themselves up in a couple years to have a decent amount of cap space. That to me is more value that Pritchard brings

[BobbieL]

What makes you say that Bobbie?

I just don’t think there is a trade market
I know the Bulls rumor was there but it makes no sense for the Bulls

So it will get to right before training camp and the deal will happen

It might happen earlier if Beal has options

Making no sense for the Bulls is exactly why it makes sense for the Bulls!

Mostly kidding, obviously his market will be tough. But seriously, how many moves have the Bulls made in the last like 5 seasons that people have said make sense for them?

That is true about the Bulls but I have to say -- even though I mocked up an outline of a trade - I prefer the Suns just take the pill with Beal and have him expire in two years. Or pay him not play. Taking on PWill is the same as stretching but thats still four years left.

If the Suns make decisions with Richards O'Neale, Martin and Allen that free up cap to get below apron levels - suck it up a couple years with minimum, lets this young group of draft picks, Williams and Green grow - -see what you have.

There is not an MLE player out there who is going to make this team a guaranteed playoff team. Beal actually provides more value actually - if healthy.

[Sunsdeuce]

So we traded in the draft all those 5 2nds that we got from the KD trade.

This is the haul that we got from KD (+#52):

• Jalen Green
• Dillon Brooks
• Khaman Maluach
• Rasheer Fleming
• Koby Brea

I graded the KD trade as a decent...I would say GOOD now.

And we have available for potential trades two 2nds yet.

Everything I read is that we are completely out of draft capital to trade.

[King4Day]

Where did the offseason thread go? The last one was locked without a new one created. I don't mind creating it but wasn't sure if there's a reason we don't currently have one. Thx

[BobbieL]

So we traded in the draft all those 5 2nds that we got from the KD trade.

This is the haul that we got from KD (+#52):

• Jalen Green
• Dillon Brooks
• Khaman Maluach
• Rasheer Fleming
• Koby Brea

I graded the KD trade as a decent...I would say GOOD now.

And we have available for potential trades two 2nds yet.

Everything I read is that we are completely out of draft capital to trade.

Very limited draft capital and the Suns do not control any of their picks until like 2032 or something
Hence, I think Richards, Martin, O'Neale and Allen will be traded for a bunch of second round picks and limited cash coming back combined with maybe expirings in 2026 or at worst 2027

Which is fine... I personally am fine if they take a longer term view. Suns have acquired five players 23 or young in Williams, Green, Brea, Fleming and Maulauch and yuo have Booker signed for five years -- so these next two years are going to be tough but maybe in a couple years - you have the makings of a team and if you suck it up with Beal - now you have cap space