Happy Friday! Finally made it to the end of the week, and I hope yours was a good one.

I just want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing PHNX Suns crew of Gerald, Stephen and Erik, who absolutely crushed their coverage of the NBA Draft over the past few days. If you missed anything, the shows will continue to reside on our YouTube channel, so hop on over and check them out!

If you need a joke to get you through to the weekend, here you go: Why do basketball players love astronomy? They are shooting stars!

Let’s run it back next week. On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Suns Trade Up (Again), Finish Draft With 3 Picks

What a difference 24 hours makes.

Just one day after general manager Brian Gregory was the subject of rampant doubts after trading for Mark Williams before drafting Khaman Maluach — both centers — Phoenix again was wheeling and dealing before the second round kicked off, trading picks 52 and 59 for pick 41, and also swapping pick 36 and two future first-rounders for pick 31.

It changed everything.

Phoenix used the 31st pick — the first selection in the second round — to take forward Rasheer Fleming out of Saint Joseph’s. The Suns then selected Kentucky guard Koby Brea at 41, rounding out their draft.

Suddenly, the detractors started singing a different tune.

Reactions to Suns’ Draft Overwhelmingly Positive

If you need any proof, look no further than a YouTube poll in yesterday’s draft show, in which 1,200 fans voted, and 81 percent of them gave Gregory an A. 16 percent awarded a B, meaning only a grand total of three percent gave a C-or-lower.

I’m curious if those were actual votes, or trolls, because I cannot fathom any grade less than a B for this draft. Granted, the whole concept of grading drafts is honestly a futile exercise when you consider the true results won’t be known for years, but still, it really seems like Gregory understood the assignment.

To recap, the Suns selected three players at the 2025 NBA Draft:

• C Khaman Maluach (10th overall)
• F Rasheer Fleming (31st overall)
• G Koby Brea (41st overall)

In addition, Phoenix acquired center Mark Williams from Charlotte in a trade during the first round on Wednesday.

Gerald’s got you covered with plenty of deep dives and reaction from Gregory himself, but here are a few reactions from around the basketball world following the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft:

On taking Fleming at 31

• Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports: A-
  “Fleming is a hustler who drains spot-up jumpers and brings energy on defense, swatting shots and snagging boards. But he has some real warts as a ball-handler with a lack of experience against high-level competition.”
• Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: A
  “Fleming was the highest-rated player on my board entering the second round and Phoenix smartly made a trade with Minnesota to acquire this pick and by extension the right to Fleming.”

On taking Brea at 41

• Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports: A
  “Wow, maybe Brian Gregory and Mat Ishbia know how to draft! Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and now Brea all received A grades.”
• Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: D
  “There’s some real questions about what value he can add outside of his shooting and I’m skeptical he can hold up defensively given his athletic limitations.”

And finally, a few NBA Draft overall grades:

• Kevin Pelton, ESPN: B
  “Active in the second round, Phoenix used future picks to move up to the top pick and No. 41. Teams were competing to take Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, 12th in my stats-only projections. Fleming gives the Suns another quality shot blocker, this time with more range.”
• The Score: B-
  “The Suns went all in on upgrading their front court.”

My Take: You never know how these things are going to pan out, but I think Gregory and his staff had a clear plan, and executed it perfectly. Some of the team’s biggest needs were addressed — as much as possible, anyways, considering the two-round draft — and I really do think many of the picks are going to gel quite well together here in The Valley. In my opinion, the Suns got better during the draft, and that’s really all you can hope for. Now it’s time to see how the new-look Suns, head coach and all, cruise into the offseason.

Also, Boone’s D seems a little harsh there, but again, draft grades are completely subjective, so it is what it is.

Take a Deeper Dive: Gerald’s got you covered from all angles, and make sure to continually check back at the site, because there will be more content popping up!

Home Stand Incoming: The Diamondbacks kick off a stretch of 10 straight home games tonight, hosting Miami at 6:40 pm. This is a big stretch for Arizona, which will also welcome division-leading San Francisco for four games from June 30 – July 1, before closing it out with three against Kansas City.

Great Cause: D-backs legends Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez will go head-to-head this Saturday to raise money for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association Charities and the Local 493 Firefighter Foundation. The inaugural Police vs. Fire Softball Game takes place following Saturday’s Diamondbacks game, and fans in attendance are invited to stay and watch.

Make it Six: Wildcats closer Tony Pluta rounded out his All-America recognition by being named to DiBaseball’s Second Team, meaning he was recognized as an All-American by every major national college baseball outlet. Mason White, meanwhile, earned Third Team honors. Congrats to both!

Love It: Arizona’s Caleb Love signed a two-way contract with Portland, according to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania. We know he’s destined for great things — congrats, Caleb!

Give Me Liberty: The 11-4 Mercury clash with the 11-3 Liberty tonight in Phoenix (7 pm, ion TV) as they look to continue their five-game winning streak. The Mercury then host Las Vegas on Sunday (3 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports) before hitting the road for Dallas on July 3.

Back to it: Rising FC looks to bounce back from a loss last week, as it faces Texoma FC on Saturday in their third Jagermeister Cup match (5:30 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports). Phoenix then returns home for a July 4 matchup against Lexington SC on Military Appreciation Night at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium.

Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills

Gotta respect the callback from Gregory here!