Team Needs: A Fourth Guy, A Fifth Guy, A Sixth Guy
You should probably ignore what Mat Ishbia said about other teams wishing they could trade everything with the Phoenix Suns on the back of last year’s disappointing season. The first year of the Bradley Beal/Devin Booker/Kevin Durant trio in Arizona was defined by stops and starts, as injuries kept them from ever really building a rhythm. As a result, the team lost in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Mike Budenholzer replaced Frank Vogel as their head coach.
Phoenix has the issue of not having too terribly many avenues to get better due to their cap situation and sparse cupboard of future NBA Draft picks. Ironically enough, despite being a team that famously doesn’t pay too much attention to the draft, the team came into Wednesday the No. 22 pick, which affords them a way to get something they desperately need: a young, cost-controlled player who can slide into the rotation alongside a trio of stars who are capable of reaching some pretty incredible highs.
They traded back from 22 to 28, allowing Denver to take DaRon Holmes and get the backup big they’re seeking, with the Suns picking up a handful of second rounders. Once they got to the 28th pick, they took Ryan Dunn out of Virginia, landing the best wing defender in the Draft.
Ryan Dunn (No. 28 Overall), A: I will admit to being in the tank for Ryan Dunn for quite some time. He is the best non-center defender in the draft, and Dunn’s defensive production at the college level was comical. He terrorizes opponents on that end of the floor, and there is always room for a player like that. Why, then, did he fall this far? Well, Dunn might be the worst offensive player projected to be drafted in this class. As such, it is a bet from Phoenix that they can find some way to unlock him, either as a “big” on offense or as a potential corner three-point shooter. It’ll be an interesting bet, but the Suns can play him in a way that most teams can’t given the presence of Durant, Booker, and Beal.