As Kevin Durant leaves Phoenix, the Suns turn to the NBA Draft on Wednesday in search of … More
The Kevin Durant trade immediately bumped the Houston Rockets to another level, turning them into a top threat – arguably the top threat – to new champion Oklahoma City.
What the deal means to the Durant-less Phoenix Suns, and how it affects the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, is less certain.
The Suns’ most pressing needs this offseason are at center and point guard, and they did not get help in either of those areas with the assets to be acquired when the Durant deal is finalized July 6 — shooting guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Books, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks.
What If the Suns Go Big at No. 10?
Centers Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen and Ryan Kalkbrenner and power forward Collin Murray-Boyles are likely to be available with the pick acquired from Houston as the Suns look to find a big man after trading Jusuf Nurkic last season and filling with Nick Richards.
Maluach, 7-2, is already a premier defender — he has a 7-foot, 7-inch wingspan — and is still relatively new to the game. He picked up basketball at age 13 after growing up on soccer in his native Uganda. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in his one season at Duke, but the numbers belie his upside.
He is listed in the 8-9-10 ranged in recent mock drafts and has been linked to Brooklyn and No. 8. Of this group, he is the Suns’ target most likely to be off the board.
Queen 6-10, is more of a polished offensive player after averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in his one season at Maryland, and he sent the Terrapins into the Sweet 16 with a driving bank shot at the buzzer for a 72-71 victory over Colorado State. (He traveled, but NBA rules prevailed there.)
The Terps did not ask Queen to do much on the defensive end, where he was surrounded by a veteran group, and some question his physicality. Mocks list him between 10 and 15.
Collin Murray-Boyles, 6-7, could help fill the void left by Durant, inasmuch as Brooks and Royce O’Neale are more “3-and-D” types. Murray-Broyles plays bigger than his listed height and is an aggressive defender and rebounder. While he averaged 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds as a sophomore at South Carolina, his shot is developing.
“NBA teams say Murray-Boyles rates historically well in their draft models,” ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony wrote, “thanks to his strong passing, foul-drawing ability, two-point shooting, defensive playmaking and youth, which will appeal to several teams in this range.”
Kalkbrenner, 7-foot, was the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year for his shot-blocking and presence at the rim. He is projected to go in the 25-30 range.
If the Suns opt for Murray-Bowles or a guard at No. 10, they could hope to land Kalkbrenner with their second first-round pick (No. 29) or by packaging some of the assets acquired in the Durant deal to move up a few spots Wednesday.
Stanford center Maxime Raynaud, 7-0, is a mock favorite to go to the Suns at No. 29. He can stretch the floor, making 67 threes for the Cardinal last season.
The Suns actively explored the market for a front-line center as they looked to move Durant but found no takers. Miami, which had interest in Durant and was one of the teams on Durant’s short list, reportedly balked at including 7-foot Kel’el Ware in any package. Ware, the 15th pick in the 2024 draft, averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in his rookie year with the Heat.
How Will The Suns Address The Backcourt?
Green joins guards Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen on the Suns’ roster, and they all have one thing in common — they are better off the ball, as much as the Suns have at times tried to use Booker and Beal on the point.
Point guards Jeremiah Fears, Kasparov Jakucionis and Egor Demin could come into play if the Suns look for a guard at No. 10, although some scouts believe Fears’ fearless play at the end of the season for Oklahoma pushed him up the board.
Jakucionis is seen as a pure point whose unselfish style would play well in with spot-up-shooter-heavy Phoenix. Demin, 6-9, projects as a point guard/point forward who can see over defenses to make plays. The Suns might benefit from inside knowledge here — Demin’s coach at BYU, Kevin Young, was on the Suns’ coaching staff from 2020-24.
University of Arizona wing Carter Bryant, another 3-and-D, also is projected to go as high as No. 10 is this draft, but his fit here is less certain.
The most intriguing names are Walter Clayton Jr. and Jase Richardson. Neither is protected to go as high as No. 10, but sometimes needs conquers all. The Suns worked a trade to get Cam Johnson with the 11th pick in 2019, higher than he was projected, and that has worked out well.
Clayton, 6-2, significantly raised his draft stock after a sensational NCAA tournament, when he led Florida to the national title. He showed an ability to distribute after spending much of his early career off the ball.
Richardson, 6-foot, worked his way into Michigan State’s lineup at midseason and became the Spartans’ go-to guy. He made 41 percent of his 3-pointers in his one season in college and has the athleticism and pedigree that you might expect from his father, Jason, who played 13 years in the NBA and spent parts of three with Phoenix.
Richardson’s Michigan State roots also might look good to Phoenix, whose owner Mat Ishbia was a walk-on for Tom Izzo on Mateen Cleaves’ 2000 national championship team. The Suns’ new general manager, Brian Gregory, was an assistant for Izzo from 1999-2003.
