Valley of the Suns
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Every Suns player’s value as a 2018 NBA Draft pick

By Dan Volpone

HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 30: Marquese Chriss
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 30: Marquese Chriss /
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PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 27: The Phoenix Suns pose for a team at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on March 27, 2018. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 27: The Phoenix Suns pose for a team at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on March 27, 2018. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The 2018 NBA Draft is approaching, and the Phoenix Suns are looking to add to their core. So let’s take a look at the draft-equivalent value of every Suns player.

The Suns have picks 1, 16, 31, and 59 in the 2018 NBA Draft. With the right selections, they could put the finishing touches on their already impressive young core. But just how valuable are their current pieces?

A useful way to put things into perspective is to look at the relative value of each player as a draft pick. In other words, for which pick could every player on the team be traded straight up? To make proper evaluations, players’ ages, abilities, contracts, and potentials all must be taken into account. We’ll exclude Elfrid Payton and Alex Len from consideration, since they’re free agents and can’t be traded during the draft.

Let’s evaluate all under-contract Phoenix Suns players in reverse order, from least to most valuable, starting with one Tyson Chandler.

Tyson Chandler – Undrafted

A former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the year, Chandler’s prime is far in the rear view mirror. His effort has been lacking, and at 35, he doesn’t have much left in the tank to contribute anyway. Not to mention his contract isn’t pretty, although it’ll be off the books after this season. To trade Chandler, the Suns would have to give up drafts picks of their own, so he essentially has negative value.

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