Suns Select Forward Toumani Camara in 2023 NBA Draft
The 2023 NBA Draft brings speculation for every franchise regardless of their draft position and performance last season, and the Phoenix Suns are no exception.
With no first-round pick thanks to their trade earlier in the season with the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix entered the draft with just one pick at the bottom of the draft.
After a day full of trade talks surrounding not only their second-round pick but also talks of moving center Deandre Ayton or jumping into the first round, the Suns settled on Dayton forward Toumani Camara with pick No. 52.
There was some confusion as to whether or not Camara would be joining the Washington Wizards in a trade, though Shams Charania reported he would be staying in Phoenix:
MidMajorMadness.com had this to say on Camara:
"As a senior, Camara averaged career-highs across the board with 13.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.2 SPG, while shooting 55% from the field to earn an All-Conference First Team selection as well as All-Defensive Team honors.
"While he’s not seen as particularly “elite” at any one specific thing on the basketball court, Camara bolsters a lot of upside with high-level athleticism, solid all-around gameplay, and unmatched physicality. There’s some development that still needs to be done, but Camara’s potential and unique skill set will attract several suitors and could make him an intriguing project into the second-round of the NBA Draft."
It's been quite an offseason in Phoenix, where head coach Monty Williams was fired 48 hours after their second-round exit against the Denver Nuggets. Frank Vogel was hired to replace him while the Suns paid heavily to surround him with two top assistants in Kevin Young and David Fizdale.
The Suns made one prior splash four months ago with the Kevin Durant trade, and another was made earlier this week when Phoenix sent Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, six second-round picks and future pick swaps to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bradley Beal and two other players.
There's been plenty of strong talent to emerge from the depths of the second round, can Camara head down the same path?
The Suns are very much in win-now mode, though this pick could pay dividends for both the present and future, depending on how their roster shakes out - Phoenix has ten players set to hit free agency in some type. The Suns have just eight players under contract with $175 million already tallied in salary.
