NBA Insiders Amin Elhassan and Bradford Doolittle break down the draft profile, needs and potential picks of the 14 teams eligible for the NBA draft lottery this year. With some help from Chad Ford's Big Board, we take a look at the Phoenix Suns.
Personnel needs: SG/SF, PF
Major need: Beyond the need for a bona fide, star-quality talent (at any position), the Suns' biggest hole is on the wings with a 3-and-D type of talent. P.J. Tucker has been serviceable, but at his age it probably doesn't get better for him. Reggie Bullock had that potential coming out of North Carolina, but two seasons and two teams in, he hasn't been able to net any playing time.
Quiet need: If Brandan Wright leaves, the Suns will be left without any true rotation backup bigs on the roster.
Not a need: Assuming they can come to terms with Brandon Knight this offseason, the point guard position should be handled between him and Eric Bledsoe.
Depth chart
Jobs in jeopardy: Rotation vets Wright and Gerald Green are both unrestricted free agents and could be considered flight risks, as they'll be attractive to contenders looking to fill out their rosters with specialists (in Green's case, I think it's arguable that the Suns wouldn't miss him if he left anyway). Marcus Thornton is also an unrestricted free agent but played sparingly in his time in Phoenix. Knight is a restricted free agent and will receive attention on the market after a career year (especially with the dearth of PG prospects on the market), but all expectations point to Phoenix avoiding the drawn-out process that led to the resigning of Bledsoe a year ago.
Don't mess with it: The development of Alex Len from his first to second season was the brightest spot during a tumultuous season, as he's emerged as a starting-caliber center and solid defensive big. Late in the season, T.J. Warren and Archie Goodwin both played rotation minutes and performed well enough to warrant playing time next season.
What free agency could solve
Phoenix will have tremendous cap flexibility this offseason and could conceivably make aggressive offer sheets for restricted free agents like Jimmy Butler or Khris Middleton, or unrestricted types like Danny Green.
How they draft
Where they draft well: This is Ryan McDonough's third draft at the helm of the Suns; he had a solid 2013 with Len and Goodwin as his first-round selections, and Warren in 2014 looks to be the instant-offense type he was projected to be.
Where they don't draft well: A year later, I'm still not entirely sure anyone understands the Tyler Ennis selection, and his midseason trade only made that decision less clear. Second-round draft choice Alec Brown was stashed on their D-League roster last season, with unremarkable results on that level.
Three best fits
Stanley Johnson (Chad Ford Big Board ranking: No. 11): It doesn't hurt that he plied his wares a mere 90 minutes from US Airways Center, but Johnson wouldn't just be a sentimental "hometown" pick: He's a tough defensive player with a good motor and a decent enough jumper to project to be a 3-point shooter eventually.
Bobby Portis (No. 17): Portis isn't great, but he's good enough to step in and eventually develop into a solid backup 4 or 5 with a nice midrange touch. He's not proficient from deep range, but I can see him developing into a solid stretch big.
Devin Booker (No. 20): He might not be anyone's idea of a defensive stopper, but he's as pure a shooter as they come and could replace Green on the roster as the designated sniper. Doesn't hurt that the Suns have an affinity for Kentucky players, with Bledsoe, Knight and Goodwin already on the roster.
It's a good draft if ...
What they must accomplish: The Suns can clean up the roster some on draft day. There's a lot of duplication in certain areas, and that just makes it harder for individual players to distinguish themselves and for the team to achieve a minimal level of on-court harmony and chemistry.
Additional goals: Phoenix needs to improve its collective basketball IQ, as for much of the season the Suns survived off of individual solo talents as opposed to a symphony of them.