The second round of the NBA draft belongs to the Suns
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Toumani Camara, formerly of the Dayton Flyers. Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Get used to more NBA drafts like Thursday night's, where the Phoenix Suns had nothing but a second-round pick.
State of play: The Suns and new owner Mat Ishbia are in win-now mode, highlighted by the blockbuster trade that brought Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
- As part of the deal, the Suns traded their first-round draft picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 to the Brooklyn Nets.
- The Nets also have the option of swapping first-round picks with the Suns in 2028.
- Phoenix's second-round pick in 2029 belongs to the Thunder, who got in a trade this season that sent Dario Saric to Oklahoma City for Darius Bazley.
The big picture: Phoenix won't have a first-round pick in four of the next seven drafts, and isn’t slated to have any picks in 2029.
The latest: With their lone draft pick this year, the Suns chose Toumani Camara from the University of Dayton with the 52nd pick.
- Second-round picks don't usually pan out, but Denver drafted two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in 2014, which just goes to show you never know.
- Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green, Manu Ginobili,Marc Gasol and Khris Middleton were all second-rounders as well.
Between the lines: No Arizona players were chosen in this year's draft.
- UofA's Azuolas Tubelis and ASU's Marcus Bagley both entered the draft but went unselected, though both signed deals with the Philadelphia 76ers afterward.
- Two other Arizona players — Frankie Collins from the Sun Devils and Pelle Larsson from the Wildcats — tested the waters, but decided to play another year of college ball instead.
What we're watching: Next season's matchups between the Suns and the Golden State Warriors.
- The Washington Wizards sent Chris Paul, whom they acquired from the Suns in this week's trade for Bradley Beal, to Golden State for Jordan Poole and future draft picks Thursday.