7. Luol Deng
At a time when the Suns were literally competing for a Championship every season, the last thing they wanted was depth and young talent. Sorry, that was snarky, but based on their strategy, true…
Mike D’Antoni had a penchant for playing his roster only eight men deep, and the team was paying a lot of money to keep their core stars together making first round picks seemingly expensive and a waste of a roster spot.
Sure, the Suns traded Deng for a later first round pick that draft (they selected Jackson Vroman – big deal) and a future first (they selected Nate Robinson who they also immediately traded) but what Deng immediately became in the NBA was not only the best depth player the Suns would have had in their front court, but also the perfect replacement for Shawn Marion when he was eventually traded for Shaquille O’Neal.
Once again such little foresight with the sole intention of saving a little money not only very possibly cost the Suns a Championship during the D’Antoni era, but also the shot at remaining more competitive as the main core aged.