Two of the Phoenix Suns' former draft picks have been ranked among the NBA's most valuable trade assets during their roster reconstruction.
Suns’ Former Draft Picks Now Ranked Among NBA’s Most Valuable Trade Assets Amid Roster Overhaul originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Suns had a clear goal in mind entering the NBA offseason and that was to completely overhaul their roster as they look to turn their franchise around after missing the playoffs last season.
Phoenix began the offseason by trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package centered around Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the draft pick used to select Khaman Maluach.
They also bought out Bradley Beal’s contract, officially putting an end to the big three era with only Devin Booker remaining, who they signed to a massive two-year contract extension.
With Booker now leading the way, the Suns have done a solid job of adding young talent around him through trades and the NBA draft but they are not expected to be a contender next season.
Worst of all for the Suns, they do not own a ton of their own draft capital down the road and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently listed their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks that are currently owned by the Rockets as the second-best trade assets in the NBA.
“This is, in other words, hardly a playoff lock at this point, making these unprotected picks they owe the Houston Rockets absurdly valuable. Even if Phoenix finds a few hits in a young core now featuring Jalen Green, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Ryan Dunn, these might all be support players and none are great timeline fits with Booker, who turns 29 in August. Tough-sledding seems inevitable for the Suns, and the Rockets couldn't be more thrilled about that,” Buckley wrote.
Buckley makes a great point about how the Suns blowing up their roster this summer has made their future draft picks even more valuable for the Rockets.
Of course, Houston is fresh off finishing second in the Western Conference last season and after adding Durant along with multiple other veterans this summer, they could use the Suns’ picks to either go after another key player or keep them for the future and hope that they turn into top five selections.
Either way, the Rockets are set up almost perfectly for the future due to having two of Phoenix’s draft picks while the Suns will have to find other ways outside of the draft to become a contender once again.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
