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.
Collin Gillespie, another undrafted player, earned a fully guaranteed contract with the Phoenix Suns after strong performances in the G League and as a late-season starter.
Luguentz Dort of the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder offered sound advice to all the players who were not selected during the NBA Draft on June 25-26.
“The draft is the draft,” the former Arizona State one-and-done said, during an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today” Wednesday, July 2. “It can go good, sometimes it can go bad. It’s just a start. It’s an opportunity. If somebody gets a chance to at least a two-way contract or a Summer League contract, whatever it is, use that and go out there and use that motivation to prove that you belong in this league.”
Dort’s a perfect example. He wasn’t picked on draft night in 2019. But he carved his niche as a 3-and-D foundational piece as the Thunder began its rebuild six seasons ago after the departure of Russell Westbrook and several years after Kevin Durant left.
Oklahoma City earned the franchise’s first title this year by defeating the Indiana Pacers at home in the NBA Finals’ Game 7 on June 22.
The burly 6-foot-4 wing Dort left ASU after he earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the conference’s All-Defensive First Team honors. He’s been a Thunder starter since he worked his way up from a two-way deal with the Thunder as a rookie.
Dort played with its Summer League team and spent time in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue before he was called up to join the Thunder for 36 games and had 28 starts during the 2019-20 season, including when they were the Western Conference playoffs’ fifth seed in the Orlando bubble.
Since then, Dort received a 2025 All-NBA Defensive First Team nod, plays alongside All-Stars Jalen Williams, who played at Gilbert’s Perry High, and this year’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as big Chet Holmgren.
Ex-ASU standout/NBA champion Thunder’s Lu Dort to undrafted players like him in 2019:
“If somebody gets a chance to at least two-way contract or a Summer League contract, whatever it is, use that and go out there and use that motivation to prove that you belong in this league.” pic.twitter.com/AuchonkDAz
— DANA (@iam_DanaScott) July 2, 2025
Dort averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and shot a career-best 41.2% from 3 this past regular season. He shot 42.2% from deep with 1.6 steals during the finals.
“He’s the ultimate success story,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley told The Arizona Republic about Dort when he played for Team Canada during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“He has such a great work ethic. He’s so coachable, and he’s so grounded. He would do whatever you asked him to do. On the floor, he wasn’t full of himself or self-promoting in any way. He’s just the best kid to coach. I think people had some issues or concerns about him because of his shot or why he wasn’t drafted.”
The Phoenix Suns‘ latest example of an undrafted player who serves a vital role on the roster is Collin Gillespie. He was converted from one of their three two-way players on a non-guaranteed contract last season to a one-year fully guaranteed one on Wednesday, July 2.
Gillespie, 26, went from a former two-time Big East Player of the Year at Villanova to not being drafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets, had spot minutes as a rookie when they won the title in 2023, and thrived in the G League the past three seasons.
Gillespie joined the Suns on another two-way deal during the 2024 offseason and was one of their G League team, the Valley Suns’ top players. He showed promise as a starter who replaced Tyus Jones toward the end of last season when he started in nine of his total 33 appearances.
Gillespie averaged 5.9 points, 1.8 assists and shot 43.3% from deep. Over the final nine games, Gillespie put up 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 23.7 minutes.
Now, Gillespie is the Suns’ only true point guard currently on a roster that’s filled with five shooting guards.
“Collin earned this opportunity with his work ethic, toughness, and the way he competes every single day,” Suns general manager Brian Gregory said. “He brings a gritty edge and a high-energy presence that lifts everyone around him. He plays with heart, battles on every possession, and is the kind of guy you want in your organization.”