Phoenix Sports Today

Phoenix Sports News Continuously Updated

Coward, Kalkbrenner, and Proctor: How I would navigate the Suns’ 2025 NBA Draft

by

NCAA Basketball: Eastern Washington at Washington State
James Snook-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns hold a golden opportunity with the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

It’s Draft Day 2025. A day of change, of possibility, of turning the page. A day when a single hat, placed on the head of a young prospect, can signal the start of something new. A new direction. A new era. A new hope. Cue the John Williams score.

Like most Phoenix Suns fans, I find myself scrambling. I’ve spent weeks analyzing what the team could do with the 29th and 52nd picks. Writing, speculating, and imagining outcomes. And while I did consider the idea of Phoenix moving up in the Kevin Durant trade, I didn’t spend nearly enough time thinking about what it would actually mean to hold the 10th overall pick.

This pick matters. A lot.

As the Suns look to reimagine their identity and build toward something sustainable, the 10th pick offers a rare opportunity to add a foundational piece, someone who might not just contribute right away, but grow into something greater. And we also have 29. So many possibilities.

That said, we have to be honest about what rookies are. They’re not instant answers. They require patience. They need development. You can’t just throw them into the fire and expect them to thrive. What you can do is put them in a position to succeed. Give them the structure, the support, and the time to adapt, to find their rhythm, their confidence, and their voice.

If Phoenix gets this right, the 10th pick could be more than just a draft selection. It could be a turning point. And the 29th pick can be a solid rotational player, just as Ryan Dunn is, drafted at 28th a season ago.

When I look at the 10th overall pick, I find myself a captive, held hostage by the current state of the roster and the instinct to draft for need. It’s a challenge that teams navigate every year. Need or talent. Fit or best available.

And what is that need for Phoenix? Size. Unequivocally.

This is a small team now. Trading Kevin Durant for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks didn’t address that. It made Phoenix smaller. And more redundant.

So my immediate reaction is to call for size. Thomas Sorber from Georgetown. Khaman Maluach from Duke. Joan Behringer from France. Derik Queen from Maryland. Any of them would add something the Suns sorely lack: physicality, rebounding, and an interior presence.

But I can’t help myself. I keep thinking back to the last time Phoenix held the 10th pick. The year was 2020. The Suns chose Jalen Smith. Fit over upside. They wanted rebounding, so they took the guy they thought could provide it. And in doing so, they passed on Devin Vassell. They passed on Tyrese Haliburton.

So here we are again. A familiar crossroads. Do the Suns draft based on need, or do they chase the best talent on the board, no matter the position?

Time to put my GM hat on…

I know what I’m about to suggest won’t win any popularity contests. And that’s fine. I like who I like, and I’d be doing myself a disservice, and every member of this band, if I didn’t put this out into the universe. Someday down the line, I want to be able to point back to this article as my “I told you so” moment. Because the player I’m backing? With the right development and the right situation, he’s going to be an All-Star.

I can’t shake my affection for Cedric Coward, the senior out of Washington State whose season was unfortunately cut short by a shoulder injury. At 6’6” with a 7’2” wingspan, he checks a lot of boxes. He’s a lethal catch-and-shoot threat, an explosive athlete, a strong off-ball defender, and maybe most importantly, he’s brimming with upside.

When the Suns are on the clock at 10, Coward will be there. The question is: would they have the guts to take a chance on a 22-year-old whose name isn’t popping up in every mock?

If it were me? I’d do it. I’d take Coward at 10.

I get it. Size is the buzzword. The thing everyone agrees Phoenix needs more of. And the bigs available at 10 can help you on the defensive end. But when I look at this roster, I still see a team that needs more offensive juice. Coward brings that. And he brings defense too. He’s not just a swing, he’s a swing with real upside and skill.

Is he a reach? Potentially, yes. Looking at where he is falling in mock drafts, noting that he’s been a draft riser, here is where he’s at:

Mock drafts be damned. Of course he’ll end up playing for a Western Conference foe, reminding me constantly that the Suns should have pursued him. But I stand pat. I don’t care if Coward is a “reach” at 10. Take him. Or move back just enough to get him. But get him.

Oh, and the size you want addressed? Let’s not forget: the Suns also own the 29th pick. That’s where you grab someone like Ryan Kalkbrenner out of Creighton. A legit 7-footer, a vertical lob threat, a seasoned post scorer, and a reliable rim protector.

So you take your swing at 10. You grab the guy with real upside, someone who could one day become a high-level two-way force. That’s your bet. Then, at 29, you circle back and get your size with Ryan Kalkbrenner. A dependable 7-footer who brings rim protection, touch, and vertical spacing. Just like that, you’ve hit two of the biggest boxes on the checklist.

Then comes the second round, where the Suns own picks 52 and 59.

My first instinct? Package them. Move up. Go get Tyrese Proctor, probably my favorite second-round prospect in this entire class. A 6’5” combo guard from Duke who’s shown he can play on or off the ball, initiate offense, and hold his own defensively. He has feel. He has pedigree. And he fits what this roster lacks: playmaking.

But here’s where I contradict myself. Because the Suns already have a million guards. What they need is depth outside the backcourt. They need wings. They need forwards. They need functional size.

Then again, Proctor is a point guard. That’s still a need, even if it’s buried beneath the pile of combo guards currently on the roster. So maybe I don’t contradict myself after all. Maybe the right move is to consolidate 52 and 59, and go get a real table-setter.

You walk away from the night with three rookies — Coward, Kalkbrenner, and Proctor — filling three clear roles: dynamic wing, rim-running big, and true lead guard. You add around $11 million in rookie-scale contracts, valuable production at a fraction of the cost, which matters more than ever in the second apron era.

That’s how I’d do it. That’s how I’d build a bridge to the future.

But we’ll see what tonight brings. We’ll see how the Suns zig when we expect them to zag.

If it were you? You’re the GM. What would you do?

Listen to the latest episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast below. To stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podbean, or Castbox.

Please subscribe, rate, and review.