The Suns Get the 5th Pick
This is one of the worst-case scenarios imaginable. The Suns drop as far down as they can in the draft lottery, falling all the way from the projected second pick to the fifth pick. The talent level at fifth overall is decent, better than a lot of other drafts. However, the names that are there, are in positions the Suns don’t need, or already have a player with a higher ceiling in.
Malik Monk will be there, but Devin Booker is the starting shooting guard for this team for hopefully the next 10 to 12 years. Moving Booker to SF doesn’t make sense, both for Booker and the organization. Putting Devin up against physical specimens like LeBron, Durant and Kahwi is the last thing this team should do.
Swarm and Sting
De’Aron Fox is a good PG prospect, but he doesn’t fit into the Suns’ style, and the Suns would rather keep Eric Bledsoe than take Fox at that point. The team won’t take Fox over Ball or Fultz, and Dennis Smith Jr. is in the same boat as Fox.
Lauri Markannen is basically a less defensively diverse, more offensively polished version of Dragan Bender. He’s limited defensively, and while his offensive upside is very high, the Suns need a rim protector, not another shooting big man. He would have to fight Chriss and Bender for playing time.
Johnathan Isaac is an intriguing prospect, as he can play either forward position. He needs to improve offensively, but he shows a lot of flashes on both sides of the ball, and at 6’10” is one of the bigger small forwards in the league. He’s the most likely choice out of the remaining prospects at fifth overall. But even if they take Isaac, does he start over T.J. Warren? Does he really fit the Suns’ preferred style? Will he improve as much on both sides of the ball as he’s projected to, or will he become a Jonathan Bender or Brad Sellers type of player, tall but not skilled enough at anything to succeed as a star in the NBA?