Phoenix Suns fans watched without emotion as the draft lottery results rolled in. Their favorite team missed the Play-In Tournament, but won't have a lottery pick in June to show for it. Phoenix doesn't have the draft assets to rebuild its future after a series of trades the past couple of years.
What once looked like the start of something promising in the desert turned into a nightmare. Mat Ishbia orchestrated the trade for Kevin Durant soon after he became the majority owner. The Suns sent the Nets four unprotected first-round picks for the superstar. Phoenix has nothing to show for it, other than disappointment.
It would've been a dream for the Suns' poor 2024-25 season to result in drafting Cooper Flagg, but instead, the Mavericks celebrated winning the No. 1 pick after a 39-win season. Dallas had a 1.8 percent chance of getting the top pick. Mavericks fans went from questioning everything after the stunning Luka Doncic trade to preparing to welcome Flagg to Dallas (as long as Nico Harrison doesn't screw things up again).
Dallas didn't suffer for long — four months to be exact. Similar to the Suns, their pain was self-inflicted. Nobody forced Harrison to trade Luka to the Lakers, just like nobody made Phoenix trade for Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause. The former decision was much worse, yet the Mavericks were rewarded for it for whatever reason.
It's hard to feel optimistic about the Suns' future
Not long ago, Dallas' hopes all but went down the drain. Flagg changed everything, ensuring that the Mavericks will be a threat in the West for years. Then there's San Antonio, which got exceptionally lucky at the draft lottery two years ago. The Spurs have the No. 2 pick in June's draft. They could use it to draft a player like Dylan Harper, or potentially use it in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Suns are falling behind in the West with each passing day. The conference got even stronger on Monday in Chicago, pushing Phoenix further down the ranks.
Maybe the Suns will get lucky and convince the Rockets to use the No. 9 pick in a trade for Durant, but Houston is reportedly skeptical about trading for the 36-year-old star, mainly because of his age. The Rockets could also use that pick in a package for Giannis.
Phoenix showed this past season that it is incapable of being competitive in the West, so imagine what it'd be like if Giannis teamed up with Wemby in San Antonio, or gave Houston its go-to scorer.
Suns fans can't help but wonder when things will go their way, which might mean Ishbia needs to get out of the way. He wants Phoenix to win a championship, but his decisions don't reflect that. Sorry, but promoting Brian Gregory to GM doesn't seem like it'll fix anything, other than cause more problems.
The West got richer on Monday, except for the Suns.