5. He Was As Good An Option As Any At No. 13
Booker is not a sure thing by any means; in fact, outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, I’m not sure I’m willing to label anyone in this year’s draft class “a sure thing.” But considering where the Suns picked in the lottery, snagging Booker at No. 13 was a pretty high value move.
It’s true: Phoenix probably would have really benefitted from adding a stretch-4 to relieve Markieff Morris off the bench, or a backup center to play behind the oft-injured Alex Len. And to be fair, the Suns tried. According to multiple reports, they attempted to trade up to the No. 9 pick, where the Charlotte Hornets eventually selected Frank Kaminsky.
The Suns remain in aggressive pursuit of a move up in the draft, presumably targeting Frank Kaminsky, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2015
Kaminsky would’ve been a high-quality addition to the Suns’ roster for his perimeter shooting, his outstanding basketball IQ, his Grade-A character and his ability to give Len more opportunities to rest…but not at the cost of whatever asset it would’ve taken to move up to No. 9.
If anything, Booker should be seen as a blessing in disguise when trade talks with Charlotte failed. His falling to the Suns at No. 13, when Phoenix had reportedly been trying to trade up to take Kaminsky, a prospect many fans had lukewarm feelings about, represents a draft victory of sorts.
McDonough on getting Devin Booker at 13 after trade talks to move higher: "Thank goodness we didn't give up other things we didn't have to."
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) June 26, 2015
When the Indiana Pacers took Myles Turner at No. 11, the Suns had lost their top two big man prospects. At that point, Phoenix’s best options were Booker, Kelly Oubre, Bobby Portis and Cameron Payne. Do any of those really stand out as a hands-down superior option to Booker? Your answer to that question should probably be “no.”
Oubre has the physical traits to excel at the next level, but he’s a bit of a project and could bust as easily as he could boom. If you thought the negative reactions to Booker were taking it too far, just imagine what would’ve happened if McDonough had opted for Payne, a point guard from the relatively unknown Murray State.
Bobby Portis was probably the most tantalizing option not named Booker because of his stretch-4 potential and his Kevin Garnett-like intensity. But even after a bunch of great pre-draft workouts that got rave reviews, he wasn’t selected until No. 22 by the Chicago Bulls; perhaps he wasn’t as high on everyone’s draft boards as people thought.
Justise Winslow shockingly slid all the way to No. 10, but not far enough to No. 13. Kevon Looney and Montrezl Harrell went much later than expected, shedding light on most teams’ opinions of them. At No. 13, Booker fit in with McDonough’s “best available player” mantra, and to be perfectly honest, he probably isn’t wrong about that assertion.
Next: No. 4