INGLEWOOD, CA – 1989: Dan Majerle #9 of the Phoenix Suns shoots a free throw against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)
They say you can’t know the future if you don’t know the past. Or something. And who exactly “they” are I can’t tell you. But I needed an intro to this feature, and that’s the best I’m going to do.
With the 2015 edition of the NBA Draft fast approaching, let’s take a look back at the Phoenix Suns draft history (lottery era only). Maybe it’ll give us some insight into what they might do in this year’s draft. But probably not. Whatever.
Phoenix Suns 1988 NBA Draft Haul
First Round:
Tim Perry (#7)
Dan Majerle (#14)
Could have had: Anthony Mason (53), Rod Strickland (19)
The Suns totally whiffed on Tim Perry at pick #7; while he developed into a decent NBA player, he never did reach the full potential people saw in him coming out of Temple. But, as the list above shows, there wasn’t exactly a bunch of superstars still on the board when Phoenix drafted Perry. But the team totally made up for it with their second first round pick in 1988, grabbing Thunder Dan Majerle, one of the best (and most beloved) players in franchise history
Rest of Draft:
Andrew Lang (2, 28)
Dean Garrett (2, 38)
Steve Kerr (2, 50)
Rodney Johns (3, 55)
Could have had: Vinny Del Negro (29), Grant Long (33), Vernon Maxwell (47), Anthony Mason (53)
Can’t complain about the Suns second round picks either. Lang was never a star, but was the team’s starting center by the end of his tenure in the valley. Unfortunately Kerr was only given a 26 game audition in Phoenix before he was shipped out (only to return in retirement to the team’s front office to screw things up).
Overall Suns Draft Grade: B+
Previous Years:
