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2024 NBA Draft Guide: Suns targets, big board and extra tidbits ahead of draft night
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Craig Morgan's breaking news broke our website, so it's time for an extra Suns newsletter ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft! -Gerald Bourguet 2024 NBA Draft Guide: Suns targets, big board and extra tidbits ahead of draft nightWelcome to our 2024 NBA Draft Guide for the Phoenix Suns! It's been four years since the Suns had their own first-round draft pick, and it's been just as long since they selected any player in the draft who actually logged minutes for Phoenix during their rookie season. It's good to be back! Over the last few weeks, we've diligently covered the upcoming draft from as many angles as possible, including options for the No. 22 pick at each position, options for trading down, players that might be worth trading up for, and plenty more. With the draft being a day away, we decided to round up all of those words into one convenient place to browse at your leisure. If you need a 24-hour crash-course on the best Suns fits in the 2024 NBA Draft, you've come to the right place! But first, here are a few tidbits of sourced information on the Suns' approach to Wednesday's draft and what fans can expect going in. 2024 NBA Draft tidbits for SunsAccording to a source, Phoenix likes Virginia's Ryan Dunn, Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Baylor's Yves Missi, with Dunn in particular impressing multiple teams during pre-draft workouts. But the Suns aren't locked into the No. 22 pick either, and they have several prospects they like just as much, if not better, who may be available a few spots later. That means trading back to acquire additional draft capital is a legitimate option for the Suns, with our source calling it "most likely" that they'll trade back. Conversely, trading up feels unlikely, since no one really jumps out at Phoenix as a prospect who immediately fits in their rotation and is worth sacrificing future assets for (i.e. their 2031 first-round pick that becomes trade-eligible on draft night). If trading down is the best option, the Utah Jazz loom as an intriguing possibility. In addition to their No. 10 selection, they'll also have picks at No. 29 and No. 32, making them a prime trade-down target. However, Walker Kessler would not be part of that equation, despite Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer's recent report that "rival teams believe Utah is willing to engage in trade talks" for the second-year center. Other trade-down options could include the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 27 and No. 37) or the New York Knicks (No. 24, No. 25 and No. 38), but most of that trade activity will happen the day of the draft once teams have a good feel for who might be available in that range. Phoenix will take a wait-and-see approach in the meantime, but if a certain team really likes a prospect who will be available by the time the Suns are on the clock at No. 22, they'll be open for business and try to secure an additional pick in the process. Suns draft articles roundupLet's start with our specific draft targets for the Suns, which include five prospects at each position! For the bigs, we dove into strengths and weaknesses for Yves Missi, Kel'el Ware, DaRon Holmes II, Kyle Filipowski and Zach Edey. On the wing, we broke down the games of Kyshawn George, Johnny Furphy, Baylor Scheierman, Jaylon Tyson and Tristan da Silva. And finally, Tyler Kolek, Isaiah Collier, Ja'Kobe Walter, Carlton Carrington and Bronny James round out our list of guards.
Most of those prospects are still intriguing candidates if the Suns stay at No. 22, but we also covered the possibility of Phoenix trading down. First, we looked at a few teams that would make the most sense for the Suns to call if they're trying to trade up or trade down. Then, we looked as specific draft candidates that should be on their radar if they trade up (Devin Carter, Cody Williams and Ron Holland) or move back (Bobi Klintman, Jalen Bridges, Ajay Mitchell and Ryan Dunn).
If you prefer the video format, we've also done several breakdowns on YouTube, including:
Gerald's Suns big boardThis isn't a complete big board for the entire 2024 NBA Draft, but in terms of Suns targets who might be available and would be the best fits, here's my top 15:
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Welcome to the hottest place in Arizona sports, the PHNX Newsletter! We're changing the way sports in our city are covered. As we continue to redefine what sports coverage means in state 48, our entire team is looking forward to providing you with the most interesting, well thought out and high-quality content that matters to you.
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