Suns check important boxes in Day 1 of 2024 NBA Draft with Ryan Dunn and smart trade back

The Phoenix Suns had a number of boxes to fill heading into Day 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft. By trading down from the No. 22 overall pick — as expected — to draft Ryan Dunn at No. 28, while also picking up three extra second-rounders in the process, they checked off quite a few of them.

In addition to the best defender in the entire class, Phoenix now has the Denver Nuggets’ 56th overall pick in this year’s draft, as well as second-rounders in 2026 and 2031. It’s not some gargantuan, show-stopping haul, but it’s the type of savvy move that smart teams make, picking up extra draft capital while still being able to take the guy they wanted — who was available at No. 22 — six picks later.

“I thought tonight was a good night for us,” general manager James Jones summed up. “We came into the draft with a couple of objectives. We wanted to get more athletic, defensively on the perimeter, we wanted to add some size and some youth. I thought that we were able to do two things tonight: Get the player that we wanted moving back, and pick up other assets and capital for the future to continue to allow us to have more resources to build the team for the long-term.”

Those resources are precious in Phoenix. The Suns having no draft picks is a misconstrued myth at this point, but they will have picks somewhere in the first round of the 2026, 2028 and 2030 NBA Drafts. Phoenix is not in control of those selections, but even if picks swaps are enacted, they’re still guaranteed a first-rounder of some sort.

However, due to the Kevin Durant trade, as well as the Ted Stepien Rule that prevents NBA teams from trading away first-rounders outright in consecutive years, the Suns’ only remaining, tradable first-rounder is their 2031 pick.

In terms of second-round draft capital, they only had their own 2031 second-rounder (which became trade-eligible on draft night) and a 2028 second-rounder from the Boston Celtics (protected 31-45).

Second-round picks don’t have a ton of value in the NBA, but adding three more gives Phoenix a few extra sweeteners to offer in trades. It helps bridge the gap between only being able to offer players by themselves and having to overcompensate in trades by attaching their last tradable first-rounder in 2031.

More to the point, though, is the Suns were able to add these extra picks while still getting Ryan Dunn, a guy they wanted at No. 22.

Suns get their guy in Ryan Dunn

To put it simply, there’s a reason multiple draft experts have referred to Ryan Dunn as one of the best defensive players they’ve ever evaluated.

At 6-foot-7 and sporting a 7-foot-1 wingspan, this second-year wing out of Virginia addresses Phoenix’s glaring need for bigger, defensive-minded wings in emphatic fashion. Dunn averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, showcasing a terrifying blend of length, speed and athleticism to make jaw-dropping defensive plays.

“He was adamant: His desire is to become an elite defender in this league, first and foremost,” Jones said of his conversation with Dunn after his pre-draft workout. “And that’s something that I think we could really benefit from.”

If Dunn can just be passable on offense at the NBA level, he could have multiple All-Defensive selections in his future. He’s a basketball pterodactyl, swooping in on unsuspecting prey on the perimeter, at the rim, and in passing lanes. Not only is he switchable, but he’s a swarming on-ball presence, an exceptional help defender, and even a capable rim protector and post defender as a potential small-ball 5.

The 21-year-old Suns rookie is the ultimate disruptor who can singlehandedly blow up opponents’ plays from anywhere on the court. He’s a good rebounder (6.9 per game), frequently turns defense into offense and excels in transition. It’s pretty easy to understand why the Suns were interested in a player like that, especially since he addresses one of their biggest needs. Like several other teams, Phoenix was impressed by his pre-draft workout, and he had felt like a sensible trade-down target for a while.

“I know how badly he wanted to be here in Phoenix,” Jones said of Dunn. “We had some time during the draft process when he worked out for us to sit and talk for 30 minutes just about his journey as a player and what he needed to do to be effective on his level. And I think it goes without saying if you ask his coaches, his opponents, the kid’s a tireless worker. I’m fairly confident with this team, with the players that we have, the coaching staff, that’ll be a great fit for him. And he saw that fit.”

The fit is superb on the defensive end, where the Suns need more plus-sized wings to alleviate the burden on Kevin Durant to do what he does offensively while still guarding opponents’ best wings on a nightly basis. It’s the offensive side of the coin where Ryan Dunn will have to prove himself in order to stick in an NBA rotation.

His 8.1 points per game on 54.8 percent shooting from last season sound functional enough, but Dunn made only 20 percent of his 3s on a meager 1.0 attempts per game. In fact, he shot just 22 percent on all jumpers last year, with his offense largely being limited to transition opportunities and cuts. That doesn’t project to improve anytime soon for guy who shot 53.2 percent from the foul line last year, or 23.5 percent from deep during his two years in college.

“He’s improving, and what he was asked to do at Virginia was to defend, and he relied on his athleticism,” Jones said. “The shooting isn’t where he wanted it to be or where we think it will be in a few years, but he’s an impactful player, and great players find a way to impact the game, not just with the offensive box score. And so I’m confident with our staff, with [Mike Budenholzer], our coaches, that he’ll be primed to improve as a shooter. And if he can do that and do it quickly, I think we’ve found a gem.”

Ryan Dunn’s form itself isn’t terrible, and he did shoot a more respectable 18-for-43 on 2-point jumpers, per Hoop-Math. Until his shot comes around, though, his offensive role will mostly be relegated to being a screener, roller, cutter, transition scorer, lob threat and finisher in the dunker spot. Dunn did take 62.5 percent of his shots at the rim last year, and he converted an efficient 68.5 percent of those looks, displaying decent touch at the rim or outright posterizing people when he had room to elevate:

If Dunn can learn to function as a screener, roller, straight-line driver, cutter and finisher in the dunker spot, a Suns lineup with enough shooting around him could theoretically mask his lack of perimeter touch enough to capitalize on his elite defense. For the long-term, he’ll need to become at least an adequate shooter to avoid situations where he’s ignored by defenders and Phoenix winds up trying to score 4-on-5.

We’ve seen many a defensive stalwart struggle to find consistent minutes in the NBA because they’re unplayable on the other end, and at Virginia, Dunn looked to get off the ball most of the time, treating it more like a hot potato than serving as a threat. He’ll have to prove that an insatiable motor, intuitive cutting and diving, and being a good all-around fit can keep him on the floor.

Although the Ryan Dunn comparisons to Josh Okogie are simplistic (Dunn is 3-4 inches taller), they do bear one thing in common: From a playability standpoint, they’re both better off whenever they get to share the court with guys like Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen.

Like any rookie, Dunn will have to show he’s worthy of those opportunities, and Mike Budenholzer will have to find ways to incorporate him on the other end without him becoming a liability. This is the type of prospect where team fit and internal development will matter, but if he can just be sufficient offensively, he’ll wind up looking like a steal for what he brings to the table defensively.

“If that’s what he progresses to, that’s the goal for us, to have an elite lockdown defender, or at least someone that can take the challenge every day and make it extremely difficult on the opponent’s best scorer,” Jones said.

Big board for Suns’ pick at No. 56

According to a source, the Suns may not be done moving around in the draft. There could be another guy or two they covet enough to try and jump from No. 56 if they stay available long enough, potentially using one of their newly-acquired second-round picks to do so.

For the Bronny James watchers, the Suns’ current pick comes one selection after the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 55. That’s where LeBron James’ son has consistently been mocked for weeks now, so if Phoenix’s interest in him is real, they may have to move up in order to get him. The Suns had Bronny in for two pre-draft workouts and were one of two teams in the league to host him at all, along with LA.

Assuming they keep their new second-round pick, most of the following options are likely to be off the board by the time the Suns are back on the clock at No. 56. But you never know who might fall in an unpredictable second round, or if they’ll make another move, so we’re going to run through some candidates on my personal big board anyway:

1. Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
2. Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke
3. Adem Bona, C, UCLA
4. Jonathan Mogbo, F, San Francisco
5. Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara
6. Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite
7. Johnny Furphy, F, Kansas
8. Bobi Klintman, F, Cairns Taipans
9. Jalen Bridges, F, Baylor
10. Jamal Shead, G, Houston
11. Bronny James, G, USC

Tyler Kolek led the entire NCAA in assists and is one of the best floor generals in the draft, boasting a high floor, basketball IQ and ability to contribute from day one as crafty pick-and-roll facilitator. He’s undersized and will probably go within the first 5-10 picks of the second round, but if he somehow fell to No. 56, he’d feel like a no-brainer. Trading up for him might be a stretch.

Kyle Filipowski won’t fall 26 more picks either, but the Duke product is one of the draft’s more skilled bigs who can dribble, pass and shoot. There’s a reason he cracked our top-five draft big prospects for Phoenix, and while there are concerns about his rim finishing and ability to anchor an NBA defense as a 5, not many 7-footers have this type of handle or self-creation ability:

At 19 years old, Tyler Smith is another interesting big who probably won’t be available past the next 10 picks. At 6-foot-9 without shoes and sporting a 7-foot-1 wingspan, this G League product could be effective in a simplified role where he’s either cutting, picking-and-popping, or diving to the rim. He’s a consistent lob threat with the physical tools to dunk on people, and he has a great release on his spot-up looks despite only shooting 36.4 percent last year. It’s the defensive concerns that hold him back.

Adem Bona is another intriguing big men prospect if the Suns want to get more athletic behind Jusuf Nurkic. He’s undersized at 6-foot-8, but his burly strength, physical approach and 7-foot-4 wingspan enable him to play a lot bigger than his size. He’s one of the best athletes in the draft, with the mobility to switch onto ball-handlers at the next level and the motor to ferociously chase down blocks. He’s somewhat limited elsewhere, but his specific skill-set as an elite rebounder, diver, screener, rim runner, shot-blocker and versatile defender fits what the Suns need at that position.

Ajay Mitchell and Jamal Shead are interesting options if Phoenix looks at guards instead. Mitchell is a cerebral playmaker and driver, probing defenses and conjuring his own scoring and passing lanes seemingly out of thin air. After putting up a 20-4-4 stat line on .504/.393/.858 shooting splits last year, he could be the steal of the second round no matter where he goes. If he slides all the way to No. 56, he’d be hard to pass up.

Shead is undersized at 6-feet tall, but the 21-year-old from Houston also loves to probe defenses, using his nifty dribble moves and bully ball approach to break them down. He’s also a defensive menace with quick hands, which would help him stay on the court despite his lack of size. He’ll have to prove he can be a more efficient shot-maker.

Bronny James is a flawed prospect, but the Suns have maintained a genuine interest in him outside of what that means for his father’s impending free agency decision. Trading for a LeBron is not a realistic option at this point in time as a second tax apron team, so he’d have to sacrifice around $48 million to play with his son in Phoenix on a vet minimum if they drafted him. For more on Bronny, we took a look at the USC guard’s game here.

If the Suns aren’t convinced they’re done adding young talent on the wing, Johnny Furphy is another wing we’ve covered who surprisingly fell to the second round. He’s got plenty of upside as a shooter at only 19 years old, and that type of movement shooting is a bankable NBA skill if he can get his percentages up.

It’s unlikely Furphy’s slide extends that far, and the positional shooting that Bobi Klintman brings puts him in a similar boat. But Jalen Bridges feels like a more plausible target, and the Baylor wing has the prototypical 3-and-D skillset Phoenix needs more of. He’s 6-foot-7, has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and navigates screens well while moving his feet to stick with primary ball-handlers. Bridges took nearly 60 percent of his shot attempts from beyond the arc last year, and he made 41.2 percent of those 5.1 attempts per game.

Finally, Jonathan Mogbo is an intriguing playmaking wing with defensive chops. He probably won’t fall this far, but the 6-foot-6 forward out of San Francisco sports a 7-foot-2 wingspan and put up an impressive 14.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. His lack of a 3-point shot is a problem, but the 22-year-old seems to do everything else at a high level, especially when it comes to rebounding, playmaking and defending.