Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Re-Drafting Ryan McDonough’s five drafts

By Branden Wyss

BOSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Before game time, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, center, chats with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, left, and Sean Grande, the voice of the Celtics. Pagliuca shares video of his son's Saturday Duke game against Fairfield. The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns, at the TD Garden, on Monday, November 17, 2014. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Before game time, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, center, chats with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, left, and Sean Grande, the voice of the Celtics. Pagliuca shares video of his son's Saturday Duke game against Fairfield. The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns, at the TD Garden, on Monday, November 17, 2014. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Conclusion

BOSTON – NOVEMBER 17: Before game time, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, center, chats with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, left, and Sean Grande, the voice of the Celtics. Pagliuca shares video of his son’s Saturday Duke game against Fairfield. The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns, at the TD Garden, on Monday, November 17, 2014. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – NOVEMBER 17: Before game time, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, center, chats with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, left, and Sean Grande, the voice of the Celtics. Pagliuca shares video of his son’s Saturday Duke game against Fairfield. The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns, at the TD Garden, on Monday, November 17, 2014. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

In these scenarios I’m assuming the Suns don’t sign Tyson Chandler due to a Rudy Gobert breakout. I’m assuming they don’t sign Jared Dudley due to a Nerlens Noel breakout. Also, unfortunately, if you keep the roster the same otherwise, they still keep Knight due to the only difference being players we draft, not trade situations outside of the draft. Elijah Millsap not signed in this situation due to a full roster. Alec Peters is sent to the G League.

Now imagine a way to keep a majority of the roster intact as of now, to have a roster shaken up to look like:

PG: Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdan, Norman Powell

SG: Devin Booker, Zach Lavine, Brandon Knight

SF: Josh Jackson, Shabazz Muhammed*, Derrick Jones Jr.

PF: Nerlens Noel, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender**

C: Rudy Gobert, Alan Williams, Jordan Bell

* Shabazz Muhammed most likely still becomes a free agent (as has happened with the Timberwolves), and is replaced with a more viable backup or starter. However, we will assume he has a better situation with the Suns and re-signs for a team friendly deal.

** Bender might play more at backup small forward position due to lack of depth.

Would this team have Warriors potential? Most likely not, but this particular roster is really only one superstar SF (Paul George in free agency after this hypothetical year) away from being a true contender. But this team alone would most likely at least obtain a 6th seed in the West and would only take minor changes to who has already been drafted.

The players I’ve kept only help show how solid many moves Ryan McDonough has been making, and only solidifies how glad we should be to have him calling the shots.

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