Yesterday, forward Marquese Chriss was waived by the Warriors. Chriss is 22 and three and a half years removed from being the eighth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Warriors were his fourth team in four seasons.
His first? The Phoenix Suns, which makes sense, because the Suns’ recent draft history is so, so terrible.
Phoenix actually believed in Chriss so much they made a draft-night trade for him, sending the rights to Bogdan Bogdanović (not the Club 350,000 member) to Sacramento along with two first-rounders and a second-rounder for his rights.
After that investment, Chriss’s time in Phoenix:
154 games, 8.5 points per game, traded to Houston during the 2018 offseason with Brandon Knight for Ryan Anderson and De'Anthony Melton. Anderson and Melton played a combined 65 games for Phoenix.
Other recent big-time whiffs:
2018: DeAndre Ayton at No. 1 instead of Luka Dončić, which was dumb when it happened
2017: Josh Jackson at No. 4; traded to Memphis for nothing, now in the G-League
2016: Dragen Bender at No 4; now the 15th man for Milwaukee, averaged 5.4 points for Suns
2013: Alex Len at No. 5; now a backup in Atlanta after five mediocre seasons with Phoenix
The good picks:
2015: Devin Booker at No. 15, who hasn’t led the Suns to a season with more than 24 wins
The Suns have also had five coaches in five years. But at least they inspired the best Charles Barkley moment ever.
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