5. Steve Nash
WHAT? Steve Nash, the greatest Phoenix Sun of all time, isn’t No. 1 on the list? Well, technically speaking, Nash didn’t do much for the Suns as a draft pick.
When Phoenix selected him with the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, he was also booed by fans (maybe Suns supporters should make it a yearly tradition to boo the draft pick, no matter who it is, to ensure he becomes a great player). Playing behind Sam Cassell, Kevin Johnson and eventually, Jason Kidd, Nash got very little time in his first two seasons.
After the 1998 NA Draft, the Suns traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the rights to Pat Garrity and a future first round draft pick (more on this in a minute). Nash flourished in Dallas, but when Mark Cuban wasn’t willing to pay up to keep him in 2004, the Suns swooped in and got him back.
We all know what happened after that: the birth of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, three Western Conference Finals appearances, two MVP Awards, five All-NBA selections, five times leading the NBA assists and four times joining the 50-40-90 club.
However, Nash’s prime with the Suns didn’t come until after they signed him in free agency, and solely as a draft pick, Nash played two uneventful seasons in Phoenix. The team’s familiarity with Nash probably helped them re-sign him years later, but we have to dock some points for the fact that they had to reacquire him via free agency.
That being said, Nash wasn’t completely useless in his first two seasons with the Suns. When Phoenix traded him to the Mavs, they netted a first round pick that turned into…Shawn Marion, one of Nash’s best teammates during his prime.
Next: No. 4