Suns GM explains why the team picked Khaman Maluach in NBA draft
The Phoenix Suns’ general manager emphasized the reasons that led the team to pick Duke center Khaman Maluach No. 10 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The team drafted several promising big men and shooting guards, but no point guards, in the recent NBA draft.Free agency presents limited options for the Suns due to salary cap constraints and Bradley Beal’s contract situation.
So, it looks as though the Phoenix Suns have ditched that whole ‘’this team needs a true point guard’’ narrative.
Remember last year around this time? After they got around to replacing Frank Vogel with Mike Budenholzer as coach, the buzz was the position they needed to fill most was that of a true starting point guard. No more having superstar shooting guard Devin Booker on the ball setting up the offense when someone else should be setting up the offense for him.
Same for Bradley Beal, another shooting guard. Or Kevin Durant, for that matter – a designated scorer if ever there was one.
Something needed to be done to stop the turnovers and restore order on the court, which really hadn’t been seen with any consistency at PHX Arena (formerly Footprint Center) since Chris Paul was handling the ball and barking out orders while occasionally popping that little elbow jumper.
In 2023-24, the Suns averaged 14.9 turnovers a game, the sixth-highest average among all teams, per NBA.com. Last season, that average improved only slightly, to 14.1 per game. The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder were lowest, at 11.7. The next lowest were Boston, Indiana and Cleveland, all playoff teams.
The Suns thought they found their answer last year when they signed Tyus Jones to a pretty affordable one-year deal. Jones had one of the best turnover ratios in the NBA the season before, something that seemed perfect for a Suns team that tended to serve up more turnovers than a French bakery (full disclosure: I think my colleague, Greg Moore, may have used that line once or twice before).
It didn’t work out. Jones, who is a free agent this summer, started out on the ball, but by midseason, Booker was back to bringing the ball up the court and setting the offense most of the time instead of having someone else set him up. Sometimes Beal was on the ball. Sometimes Jones, when he was in the game.
Later in the season, it was at times Collin Gillespie, who actually showed promise late last season (after spending time injured and in the G League). I hope the team hangs on to him and continues his development.
What about another G League prospect, TyTY Washington, who starred with the Valley Suns but had limited time with the big club last season? Is it time to give him a chance? (Gillespie and Washington were on two-way contracts last season and are among free agents on the team.)
Yes, defense was problem No. 1 last season, along with its partner, drive (or hustle, as we called it a long time ago). Rebounding was inconsistent. But was there anything about the offense, even with Booker, Durant, and sometimes Beal, that sparked excitement?
Well, sure, if chucking non-stop 3s – that’s the modern NBA – is thrilling. It is exciting when they’re dropping. When they’re not, and there’s not much else happening in its place (i.e., effective ball movement, pick and rolls and someone strong enough to bully their way to the basket), well, that’s a problem.
So what are we to think after the NBA draft and, for that matter, the Durant trade?
The Suns wheeled and dealt their way into some high draft spots in each round. And they did fill a major need by drafting some big men who look like they will bring inside game and defensive presence to a team that desperately needs it. But they also landed a few more … wait for it … shooting guards.
Not a whiff of a point guard of the future for the Suns in sight. Phoenix has plenty of guards, but who would you say is the point guard? Booker again? Is that in the team’s – or for that matter, his – best interest? Jones, who might thrive under a new head coach?
The new trade acquisitions? Jalen Green has been on the ball at times for the Rockets, but he’s really another shooting guard. So is Dillon Brooks.
Now, it may well be the Suns under new coach Jordan Ott and GM Brian Gregory are hoping for some help in free agency.
And of course, that’s where it gets tricky. Even after unloading KD’s contract, the Suns will remain in a precarious second-tax-apron situation until something else happens. Go and try to land D’Angelo Russell, who’s a free agent? Not with Bradley Beal and his ‘’no trade clause’’ contract (if that springs loose, it might be another conversation). Russell wouldn’t come cheap.
Russell Westbrook? He might be an option, though he’s up there in years, and could be had at a decent price, but probably not a veteran minimum.
Chris Paul is a free agent, but he’s 40 now, and surely a step slower than the last time he wore a Suns uniform, though he was effective with the Spurs last year.
Dennis Schroder, who finished last season with Detroit and was effective, is a free agent. Word is the Kings are eyeing him with their mid-level exception for about $14 million. The Suns’ current situation wouldn’t allow Phoenix to be competitive unless something changes (Beal agreeing to a trade would be ideal, but his contract and injury history are a tough sell. A buyout? Well, Mat Ishbia is a billionaire, but is that prudent?).
The Suns also have other assets they could deal in a trade, perhaps from the extra shooting guards or from what appears to be a few extra big men now (Nick Richards and Mark Williams played together in Charlotte).
Seeing Phoenix make an effort to beef up the front line is welcome, no doubt. But another year without a true starter-quality point guard as this team tries to regain its footing seems short-sighted.
Someone needs to restore order on the court. Help limit the turnovers. Create the spacing that makes Devin Booker flourish.
Ott and Gregory probably know this. So let’s see how they respond.