The Phoenix Suns got their own 2025 first-round pick back and used it on Duke center Khaman Maluach. As the players they passed on break out more and more, the decision seems more and more questionable – and their regret grows.
Some teams immediately regret their draft picks when they pursue a player who should never have been considered at their draft slot. The San Antonio Spurs did that a few years ago with Josh Primo; the Brooklyn Nets probably did that this year with BYU point Egor Demin. The Suns did not make that mistake.
Khaman Maluach has been a top prospect throughout the draft cycle. As a teenager, he played real minutes for South Sudan, helping them qualify for the 2023 World Cup to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was the starting center on a loaded Duke team that reached the Final Four. He was barely a reach when the Suns drafted him 10th overall. In fact, many were surprised that he even fell that far.
Perhaps the reason he fell, though, is because NBA teams started to realize his limitations as a player and how far off he seemed to be. That has proven itself this year, as Maluach has been glued to the bench behind three different centers who are currently better than him.
The Maluach choice could still work, but at this point it appears to be a mistake – for three main reasons.
Drafting Maluach seems like a mistake
At the same fundamental moment that the Suns were designing their center of the future, they were also acting for… their center of the future. The front office pulled the trigger on another former Duke center, Mark Williams, and it was reported within seconds of their selection of Maluach.
Suddenly the Suns had two great centers, and it should come as no surprise that Mark Williams has been the much better player thus far. He’s starting and playing big minutes for Phoenix, and he’s been very successful. He is on track to land a new contract with the team if he hits restricted free agency this summer.
The Suns also have Nick Richards, who they also traded for from the Charlotte Hornets; and second-year big man Oso Igodaro, a skilled big man who has reached the next level. All three are contributing to the Suns’ strong start this season — and long-leverage the team’s lone lottery pick on another center.
There’s a second reason why drafting Maluach looks like a mistake: the other options on the board look much better. One pick after the Suns took Maluach, the Memphis Grizzlies traded up to acquire Cedric Coward. The latecomer to the draft cycle was a monster to start the season. He played 27.3 minutes per game for the Grizzlies and put up some huge stats. He looks like a future star.
Derik Queen went 13th and has shown real flashes as a capable offensive big (more on him in a moment). If the Suns were locked up on a big defensive center, Joan Beringer was taken 17th and figures to be the role of a future starter. (Ryan Kalkbrenner has now entered the second round and is currently a capable starting point). It’s entirely possible that in a year or two the restatement will look back and find Maluach elected much later and the likes of Queen and Beringer elected earlier – and Coward probably in the Top 5.
Finally, the Suns would have to regret drafting Maluach because they probably could have traded with the New Orleans Pelicans, accepting the same trade offer that the Atlanta Hawks ultimately accepted to trade back from No. 13. The Pelicans sent the best of their first or Milwaukee’s first in 2026; Right now the Pelicans have the worst record in the NBA and would send the No. 1 pick if the lottery were to serve.
Could Maluach become a long-term starting point? Absolute. Will he finish better than the combination of Kalkbrenner and, for example, Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa? Some of this is hindsight, of course, but the Suns’ job as a front office is to properly project the future of these players and teams. They didn’t do that very well in the 2025 draft.
As Maluach struggles and other players emerge, the Suns’ regret over their selection will only increase.
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