2004, 7th Pick
Who The Suns Took:
Luol Deng, Small Forward, Duke
Career Stats:
879 GP, 15.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 45.5% FG
Who The Suns Should Have Taken:
Kevin Martin, Shooting Guard, Western Carolina – Originally taken by the Sacramento Kings with the 26th overall pick
Career Stats:
714 GP, 17.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 43.7% FG
The Suns traded this pick, in one of the worst trades the franchise has ever made. So immediately, keeping the pick would have been a better choice, as Luol Deng has had a very solid career and definitely could have helped this team. However, Kevin Martin would have basically made the Suns unstoppable offensively. Adding Martin’s shooting with Nash, Marion, Stoudemire, and friends would have made the Suns offense on a level only the current Golden State Warriors could have matched.