Phoenix Suns NBA re-drafts, correcting Suns' frequent draft pick mistakes

Welcome to Part 2 of our Phoenix Suns NBA re-drafts.

We’re taking a look back at Suns first-round draft choices through the years to correct what, unfortunately, often resulted in miscues from the front office.

For our purposes, we’ll predominantly be prioritizing career win shares as the guiding metric for said draft mulligans, without getting too hung up on team fit or ownership looking to cut salary.

If you missed Part 1 looking at Suns picks from 2000 through 2012, you can read it here.

Here’s a look at what could have been if the Suns’ scouting department was clairvoyant.

2013 NBA draft

Suns pick: Alex Len, No. 5 overall

Who they should have picked: Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15 overall)

As it turns out, drafting Alex Len — who didn’t make first, second or third team All-Conference while in college at Maryland — was a misfire.

The pick hurts even more when Phoenix had the opportunity to take the raw talent, high-ceiling potential of future two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in the slot instead. What could have been…

2014 NBA draft

Suns picks: T.J. Warren, No. 14 overall; Tyler Ennis, No. 18 overall; Bogdan Bogdanovic, No. 27 overall

Who they should have picked: Nikola Jokic (No. 41 overall), Clint Capela (No. 25 overall) and Dwight Powell (No. 45 overall)

Another upsetting draft for the Suns wherein they had not one but three separate opportunities to draft a future multi-time MVP winner and struck out.

Ironically, Bogdan Bogdanovic turned out to be the best of the three players the Suns did select, and he’s the only one who never played for Phoenix because he was traded before even making the leap to the NBA from Europe. 

Oof.

2015 NBA draft

Suns pick: Devin Booker, No. 13 overall

Who they should have picked: No change

No need to correct the Suns brass selecting the franchise’s future all-time leading scorer. Moving on.

Suns for life? Devin Booker wants to stay in Phoenix for entire career, that would be rarified air

2016 NBA draft

Suns picks: Dragan Bender, No. 4 overall; Georgios Papagiannis, No. 13 overall; Skal Labissiere, No. 28 overall

Who they should have picked: Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 overall), Pascal Siakam (No. 27 overall) and Ivica Zubac (No. 32 overall)

Yet another draft that’ll make Suns fans want to hurl.

The Dragan Bender choice at No. 4 overall hurts so much worse when you realize Phoenix could have taken Domantas Sabonis, another power forward who comes with the bonus pedigree of having a Hall of Fame father — Arvydas Sabonis. The younger Sabonis has so far gone on to collect three-All-Star nods and two All-NBA selections.

Throw in Siakam and Zubac and this could have been an all-timer of a draft class for the Suns.

Instead, they kept Bender and traded the other choices to land Marquese Chriss, who are both now out of the league.

Again, oof.

2017 NBA draft

Suns pick: Josh Jackson, No. 4 overall

Who they should have picked: Bam Adebayo (No. 14 overall)

The hits keep coming as the Suns somehow managed to draft the player with the worst career win share total in the entire draft class (-1.7) within the top five selections.

An absolutely brutal decision when they could have taken three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive team big man Bam Adebayo.

Other options on the board included current Cleveland Cavs stars Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.

2018 NBA draft

Suns pick: Deandre Ayton, No. 1 overall

Who they should have picked: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11 overall) or Luka Doncic (No. 3 overall)

SGA was never going to be on the Suns’ radar at No. 1, so it makes more sense to slot in Doncic here.

Sure, he would have created a dueling banjos scenario with Devin Booker in the Suns’ backcourt, but it remains baffling that Phoenix didn’t take the proven, Euroleague MVP when their coach at the time — Igor Kokoskov — had such close ties with the Slovenian star.

The Suns did make the NBA Finals with Ayton, but this choice should still haunt fans in Phoenix.

2019 NBA draft

Suns pick: Jarrett Culver, No. 6 overall

Who they should have picked: Cam Johnson (No. 11 overall)

Funny enough, the Suns traded their choice of Culver at No. 6 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves to get Cam Johnson (the No. 11 pick) and Dario Saric. So, I guess you can’t actually fault them here.

2020 NBA draft

Suns pick: Jalen Smith, No. 10 overall

Who they should have picked: Tyrese Haliburton (No. 12 overall)

Another instance of the Suns prioritizing a big man over a guard to their detriment.

Haliburton’s 37.6 career win shares and counting are by far the most in his draft class, and he helped guide Indiana to the NBA Finals in 2025. Imagine him in the backcourt with Devin Booker.

2021 NBA draft

Suns pick: Day’Ron Sharpe, No. 29 overall

Who they should have picked: Herbert Jones (No. 35 overall)

Sharpe was traded along with guard Jevon Carter roughly a week after the draft to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Landry Shamet. Keeping Carter and instead drafting Herbert Jones would have been the better call.

2024 NBA draft

Suns pick: DaRon Holmes, No. 22 overall

Who they should have picked: No change

Provided the Suns ultimately traded Holmes to the Denver Nuggets for the promising Ryan Dunn and a slew of second-round picks, there’s no reason to rewrite history here.