Have the Phoenix Suns finally learned from their draft mistakes?

The Phoenix Suns were active around the 2024 NBA Draft, selecting two players, Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, before signing undrafted Jalen Bridges to a two-way contract. The draft picks themselves were the most the organization has taken since 2019, and even then, both picks (Jarrett Kulver and KZ Okpala) were moved before playing for the team.

It’s clear that the draft has been a blind spot for the franchise, with the selection of Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick in 2018 instead of Luka Doncic, yet another mistake in a long list of mistakes. Owner Mat Ishbia’s huge trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal put even more distance between the Suns and developing young talent.

So far, there is no indication that any of the three new players will be traded in the near future. Although the same was true for Toumani Camara, last year’s second-round pick (he also had some strong Summer League performances), he ultimately became part of the deal that sent Ayton out of town.

If you’ve seen him play for the Portland Trail Blazers since then, it’s easy to understand why they would have asked to be included in the deal. Camara is a young player who excels in defense, skills that good teams always demand. Dwelling on Camara was a win for Portland, because he can grow with them or get future assets in a trade.

That kind of long-term thinking (not to mention missing out on a ton of picks) is what The Valley has been lacking in recent years, and it has meant that general manager James Jones has come under close scrutiny. It’s too early to tell if any of these players are really going to help the team, but they at least show some forward planning on the Suns’ part.

At best, Dunn becomes this team’s version of Mikal Bridges, giving the Suns a stopper who can slow down elite scorers. In the playoffs, albeit with a small sample size, the Suns ranked dead last in defensive rating (123.2) as they were blown out by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

During the regular season, the team was above league average in both rebounding (44.1, though again in the playoffs it finished last with 32.5) and the aforementioned defensive rating (113.7). One of the main reasons for this was the reliance on Jusuf Nurkic, who had a great season and remained injury-free, but who simply isn’t athletic or fast enough to stop explosive opponents.

The hope now is that both Ighodaro and Bridges can quickly develop into athletic defenders who have a positive impact on that end of the floor. Neither can currently come close to replicating Nurkic’s offensive game (he’s a fantastic passer outside the paint and connects on possessions from inside), but playing with three All-Stars they don’t necessarily need to be right away.

Mainly, though taking the draft seriously by negotiating promotions in both the first and second rounds in what has been seen as a weaker class gives the Suns more flexibility going forward. They can trade players if necessary and now also have another second-round pick left to bring to the table in a deal.

All of this points to an organization that has finally understood the importance of the draft, both now and in the future. If the Suns make a deep playoff run next year, it won’t be talked about much, but you can bet that Dunn and Co. will have either contributed or been the players needed to make a trade that allowed them to succeed.