Suns select UVA F Ryan Dunn with the 28th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft
The Phoenix Suns selected Virginia forward Ryan Dunn as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Suns traded him down to No. 28 to draft him.
The Phoenix Suns signed forward Ryan Dunn from Virginia in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday as part of a transfer.
The Suns selected DaRon Holmes II of Dayton, who played high school basketball in Arizona, with their 22nd pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday in New York, but traded the pick to the Denver Nuggets, who had the 28th pick in the first round. Denver used that pick to select Dunn, who went to the Suns.
Phoenix made an official announcement after the first round was completed.
The Suns are getting an elite perimeter defender who still has a lot of potential for development on offense.
Dunn has been compared to former Suns wing Mikal Bridges, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets and is now with the New York Knicks, and Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle for his defensive ability. He averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.3 steals for the Cavaliers last season.
“I’m excited to get to Phoenix and start working,” Dunn said in a video the Suns posted on their X account. “Thank you guys for letting me come and be a part of this wonderful organization.”
Dunn was highly valued when he was drafted.
“Ryan Dunn is the best overall defender in this NBA draft,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said during draft coverage in New York on Wednesday.
As part of the deal with Denver, the Suns will also receive the 56th pick in the second round, which takes place on Thursday, as well as two other second-round picks (2026 and 2031) from the Nuggets.
The two-day draft ends on Thursday with the second round.
Phoenix needs a point guard. Marquette’s senior point guard Tyler Kolek was drafted by the Suns but went undrafted. Kolek practiced for the Suns last week.
The Suns finished 49-33 last season and finished sixth under Frank Vogel, but were swept by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix was the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs.
Vogel was fired after the season and replaced by Mike Budenholzer, who coached the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2020–21 NBA championship. The Bucks beat the Suns in the 2021 Finals in six games.
Follow our reporting: Live updates on the 2024 NBA Draft
Have an opinion on the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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