Phoenix Suns NBA redraws, mulligans to correct frequent failed draft picks

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

There have undoubtedly been some big 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, the Suns are more often choosing to trade solid players they drafted for cap relief rather than keeping them on board.

But what if the Suns routinely got it right?

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

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That’s what we’re looking at here with the Suns NBA redrafts. Mulligans for every year’s first round picks, going back to the year 2000.

For our purposes, we’ll primarily prioritize career win shares as the leading metric for the mentioned draft mulligans, without getting too hung up on team fit or ownership for the purpose of driving down salary. We’re also looking exclusively at first-round picks, so years where they didn’t have one are excluded.

In Part 1 we will first analyze concepts from the period 2000-2012, with Part 2 published later to address the rest.

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

2000 NBA Draft

Choose sunbathing: Jake Tsakalidis, No. 25 overall

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

Every team with a first-round selection in the year 2000 smelled like Michael Redd. Redd, a left-handed guard from Ohio State, went on to accumulate 55.9 win shares during a 12-year NBA career. That figure was good for fourth 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 floundering 7-foot 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

Choose sunbathing: Amar’e Stoudemire, No. 9 overall

Who they should have chosen: No change

The 2002 draft was one of the rare cases where the Suns got it right, even when they took a chance on a high school talent.

Amar’e Stoudemire went on to win Rookie of the Year honors for the Suns. The 92.5 career win shares he amassed during his career were also the best in the entire draft class.

2003 NBA draft

Choose sunbathing: Zarko Cabarkapa, No. 17 overall

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

In retrospect, this pick certainly stings, as two-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion David West was selected just one slot after Phoenix acquired Cabarkapa.

Zarko showed flashes of athleticism during his time with the Suns, but a dirty shove in the air from Danny Fortson which resulted in a broken wrist for Cabarkapa derailed his career. The Serbian was out of the competition before he turned 25.

2004 NBA draft

Choose sunbathing: Luol Deng, number 7 overall

Who they should have chosen: 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 ended up being 6-foot-4 dunking dynamo Nate Robinson (whom the Suns also traded on draft night… more on that later).

If the Suns had instead signed Andre Iguodala from the University of Arizona, they could have added an athletic, defensive forward to the fray. Unfortunately…

2005 NBA Draft

Choose sunbathing: Nate Robinson, No. 21 overall

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

This stretch from the mid-2000s really shows how badly the Suns have squandered their draft capital in a short period of time. They traded Deng, the No. 7 pick in last year’s draft, for a non-factor in Vroman and a future pick who finished fourteen slots lower the following year (not even a lottery pick). They used this pick to select Robinson, who Phoenix brought to the New York Knicks along with sharpshooting forward Quentin Richardson for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson.

The addition of Thomas was intended to change the team’s identity and gain a bulky center who could help defend Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs at the time, but in retrospect the Suns were probably better off simply leaning into their “Run and Gun” identity.

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

2006 NBA Draft

Sunbathing choices: Rajon Rondo, No. 21 overall and Sergio Rodriguez, No. 27 overall

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

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

Phoenix sold Rodriguez’s player rights to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Obviously, both moves were an attempt to take money off the books, but additions of Lowry and Millsap — who combined for 10 All-Star selections — could have really strengthened the Suns’ rotation.

2007 NBA Draft

Choose sunbathing: Rudy Fernandez, No. 24 overall

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

A substantial part of the Suns’ franchise history is tied up in the lack of a talented center on the roster. If they knew they had to bring the younger Gasol brother instead of fellow countryman Rudy Fernandez (who—surprise!—also ended up being traded for cash), they could have had a mainstay in the post for years to come.

2008 NBA Draft

Choose sunbathing: Robin Lopez, number 15 overall

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

The less talented Lopez twins weren’t a bad choice here, but there were certainly better options on the table for the Suns. Nic Batum (73.9 career win shares) developed into a versatile defender and solid outside shooter who has helped 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 would have been truly a sight to behold.

2009 NBA Draft

Choose sunbathing: Earl Clark, No. 14 overall

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

A crop of NBA prospects would have been a better choice for Phoenix than for Clark, who played six NBA seasons and amassed an extremely mediocre 2.9 career win streak during that time (good for 39th in his draft class).