The Phoenix Suns moved ambitiously in the 2025 NBA Draft. While they may not be as aggressive this year, it would not be a shock to see them trade up in the draft again.
The Suns’ front office wants length, they want multi-positional motors, and they want guys who play with some edge. Phoenix may only hold a mid-second-round pick on paper, but league reports indicate they are highly active on the phones to maneuver up yet again.
With Brynn’s latest (linked below) on players who could fall, it only
makes sense to dive in the other direction. Let’s look at three premium trade-up prospects in the 14–35 range on the consensus draft boards who perfectly fit the athletic, long-winged mold the front office craves. What they do to move up is an entirely different discussion we can get into in another piece.
1) Cameron Carr — Wing, Baylor
Carr is a premier, high-twitch 6’5″ wing who plays with an extreme physical motor. Boasting an expansive wingspan, he excels as a multi-positional defensive disrupter who can switch across the perimeter and challenge shot-makers with his recovery length. He has shown major development as an off-ball threat, flashing lightning-quick mechanics on his catch-and-shoot looks while aggressively using his vertical pop to attack closeouts and pressure the rim.
The Suns Fit
Phoenix has realized that to survive the modern Western Conference, you cannot be small, and you cannot be slow. Carr’s ability to track assignments through screens, execute weak-side rotations, and run transition lanes hard matches the structural DNA the front office has actively targeted over the last 24 months. Plus, he has a 7-foot wingspan. Limbs!
2) Dailyn Swain — Wing, Texas
Swain is an ungodly physical toolkit wrapped into a fluid, highly mobile ~6’7″ wing frame. He is a premier defensive connector who excels at disrupting offensive flow through sheer length and lateral quickness. He functions as a versatile perimeter defender who completely chokes passing lanes, while possessing the raw foot speed to handle switches down low and track guards cleanly in space.
The Suns Fit
The bench rotation desperately demands perimeter versatility that keeps opposing teams from physically overwhelming smaller backcourts. Swain provides immediate, unadulterated length play on the wing. Pairing his recovery length and defensive engine out on the perimeter completely changes the physical ceiling of the roster, ensuring the team stops getting out-lengthened when the stakes get raised. Size? Yes please.
3) Bennett Stirtz — Lead Guard, Iowa
Look, I’m as reluctant as you are to draft a point guard. But Bennett Stirtz could be an exception. Stirtz is a highly intelligent, 6’3″ lead guard who operates with an exceptional competitive motor. He plays with massive defensive discipline, using premium spatial awareness and quick, active hands to slide into passing lanes and disrupt the point of attack. Offensively, he blends great floor vision with hyper-efficient inside-out execution, possessing elite decision-making and processing speed that keeps structural sets perfectly organized.
The Suns Fit
The Suns’ bench has looked entirely stagnant when forced into isolation-heavy sets. Stirtz acts as a highly functional, low-turnover playmaker who minimizes mistakes. In a Phoenix system that demands quick ball movement and high basketball IQ under coach Jordan Ott, his ability to execute out of the short roll, hit open snipers, and play disciplined perimeter defense makes him an ideal guard to transition seamlessly into the rotation. He is a microwave scorer with the ability to impact the game positively without that being his only contribution.
Bonus Candidate: Luigi Suigo — Big, Mega
Now let’s go polar opposite. Suigo is a humongous 7’4″ international center who plays with remarkable fluidity and coordination for his size. He functions as an elite vertical anchor and paint deterrent, using his massive standing reach to act as a brick wall in drop coverage. Unlike traditional plodding big men, he tracks moving pieces nicely, displays a high-intensity engine on the glass, and finishes around the rim with absolute force.
The Suns Fit
This is only an option if they decide to move on from Mark Williams. It would not make sense to trade up for a center if he returns. With the future of the center rotation shifting toward length and defensive mobility, finding low-cost interior depth is a major priority.
Bringing him in gives Phoenix an unhinged insurance policy behind Khaman Maluach, securing elite vertical protection for 48 minutes and ensuring the paint remains a restricted playground for opposing drivers.
