Phoenix Suns NBA re-drafts, mulligans to correct frequent draft pick misfires

The Phoenix Suns have a spotty draft record, to say the least.

There have no doubt been some big-time hits since the turn of the century — Rookie of the Year winner Amar’e Stoudemire stands out — but that success is far from the norm in the Valley.

In fact, more often the Suns opt to trade solid players they drafted for cap relief rather than keep them on board.

But what if the Suns routinely got it right?

What if they consistently picked and kept future All-Stars instead of toiling through draft miscues and eventual trades?

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That’s what we’re looking at here with Suns NBA re-drafts. Mulligans for each year’s first-round choices dating back to the year 2000.

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. We’ll also look exclusively at first-round picks, so years where they didn’t hold one of those will be excluded.

In Part 1, we’ll first analyze drafts from 2000-2012, with Part 2 publishing later to tackle the rest. 

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

2000 NBA draft

Suns pick: Jake Tsakalidis, No. 25 overall

Who they should have picked: Michael Redd (No. 43 overall)

Every team with a first round selection in the year 2000 whiffed on Michael Redd. An Ohio State southpaw guard, Redd went on to accumulate 55.9 win shares during a 12-year NBA career. That mark was good for fourth best in the entire draft class behind only Hedo Turkoglu (No. 16 overall pick), Mike Miller (No. 5 overall) and Jamal Crawford (No. 8 overall).

Redd’s scoring chops would have been a welcome addition to the Suns over plodding 7-foot-2 center Tsakalidis, who spent just three seasons in Phoenix before being traded with veteran forward Bo Outlaw to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Robert Archibald, Brevin Knight and Cezary Trybanski.

2002 NBA draft

Suns pick: Amar’e Stoudemire, No. 9 overall

Who they should have picked: No change

The 2002 draft marked one of the rare instances where the Suns got it right, even when taking a chance on a high school talent.

Amar’e Stoudemire went on to win Rookie of the Year honors with the Suns. The 92.5 career win shares he amassed throughout his career was the best in the entire draft class as well.

2003 NBA draft

Suns pick: Zarko Cabarkapa, No. 17 overall

Who they should have picked: David West (No. 18 overall)

This choice in hindsight certainly stings, given that two-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion David West was selected just one slot after Phoenix took Cabarkapa.

Zarko showed flashes of athletic ability during his time with the Suns, but a dirty, mid-air shove from Danny Fortson that resulted in a broken wrist for Cabarkapa derailed his career. The Serbian was out of the league before turning 25.

2004 NBA draft

Suns pick: Luol Deng, No. 7 overall

Who they should have picked: Andre Iguodala (No. 9 overall)

Another tough look for the Suns brass in part because they opted to trade their No. 7 overall pick Luol Deng to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jackson Vroman and a 2005 first-round pick that wound up being 5-foot-9 dunking dynamo Nate Robinson (who the Suns also traded on draft night … more on this in a bit).

If the Suns had instead just taken local University of Arizona product Andre Iguodala, they could have added an athletic, defensive-minded forward to the fray. Alas…

2005 NBA draft

Suns pick: Nate Robinson, No. 21 overall

Who they should have picked: David Lee (No. 30 overall)

This mid-2000s stretch really shows how badly the Suns bungled their draft capital in a short amount of time. They traded Deng, the No. 7 pick in the previous year’s draft, for a non-factor in Vroman and a future first that ended up being 14 slots lower the following year (not even a lottery pick). They used this pick to select Robinson, who Phoenix packaged along with sharpshooting forward Quentin Richardson to the New York Knicks for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson. 

The addition of Thomas was meant to change the team’s identity to have a bulky center who could help defend Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs at the time, but with hindsight the Suns were probably better off simply leaning into their "Run and Gun" identity.

They could have drafted David Lee out of Florida, who, while not a defensive standout by any stretch, compiled 76 career win shares and was a solid overall scorer and rebounder for the Knicks and Warriors.

2006 NBA draft

Suns picks: Rajon Rondo, No. 21 overall and Sergio Rodriguez, No. 27 overall

Who they should have picked: Kyle Lowry (No. 24 overall) and Paul Millsap (No. 47 overall)

Once again, neither player who the Suns selected in 2006 played a single minute in Phoenix. The pick that ended up becoming Rondo was acquired in the Joe Johnson trade, but Rondo was unceremoniously traded along with Brian Grant on draft night to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a 2007 first-round pick.

Phoenix sold the player rights of Rodriguez to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Clearly both moves were an effort to shave money off the books, but additions of Lowry and Millsap — who collected 10 All-Star selections combined — really could have bolstered the Suns’ rotation.

2007 NBA draft

Suns pick: Rudy Fernandez, No. 24 overall

Who they should have picked: Marc Gasol (No. 48 overall)

A substantial chunk of Suns franchise history has been mired in not having a talented center on the roster. If they knew to take the younger Gasol brother instead of fellow Spaniard Rudy Fernandez (who — surprise! — was also eventually traded for cash), they could have had a mainstay in the post for years to come.

2008 NBA draft

Suns pick: Robin Lopez, No. 15 overall

Who they should have picked: Nic Batum (No. 25 overall) or DeAndre Jordan (No. 35 overall)

The less accomplished Lopez twin wasn’t a terrible choice here, but there were definitely better options on the table for the Suns. Nic Batum (73.9 career win shares) turned into a versatile defender and solid outside shooter who aided a number of different teams throughout his career. Alternatively, highlights of DeAndre Jordan (98.9 career win shares) catching alley-oop lobs from Steve Nash really would have been a sight to behold.

2009 NBA draft

Suns pick: Earl Clark, No. 14 overall

Who they should have picked: Jrue Holiday (No. 17 overall)

A vast crop of NBA prospects would have been better choices for Phoenix over Clark, who played six NBA seasons amassing an extremely lackluster 2.9 career win shares in that time (good for 39th from his draft class).

Holiday’s 75.2 career win shares at the time of writing ranks him fifth in his draft class behind only top-10 picks: James Harden, Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Blake Griffin. Couple that with Holiday’s defensive mastery and he’s a no-brainer hindsight choice over Clark.

2011 NBA draft

Suns pick: Markieff Morris, No. 13 overall

Who they should have picked: Kawhi Leonard (No. 15 overall)

Another tough one for Suns fans to swallow is the 2011 NBA draft. With future superstars Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler on the board, Phoenix took the first of two Kansas twins in Markieff Morris.

Needless to say, Leonard — even with his injury troubles — would have been a far superior choice here.

2012 NBA draft

Suns pick: Kendall Marshall, No. 13 overall

Who they should have picked: Draymond Green (No. 35 overall)

UNC point guard Kendall Marshall collected just one win share over four NBA seasons after being drafted by the Suns in 2012. Draymond Green, who fell into the second round and wasn’t even the Warriors’ first choice (they took Festus Ezeli No. 30 overall in Round 1), would have been a much better addition.