A lot of franchises in the league generally build through the NBA Draft, trying to draft the best possible prospects in the hope that they can be developed into star-level players.
However, there are certain franchises that prefer to try and win either by attracting free agents or by drafting players that can contribute immediately and have college experience.
Phoenix Suns GM James Jones has recently explained why he doesn't believe in building through the draft, pointing out that despite Devin Booker's greatness, the Phoenix Suns only started winning when they added veteran free agents and an experienced college player in Mikal Bridges.
Devin Booker is great, but... it wasn't until winning was imported - Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, drafting a three-year guy that could help right away like Mikal Bridges - that it translated to success.
There is no doubt that there are times when one must add veterans to a young team for them to succeed. We've seen it multiple times just this season: for example, the Timberwolves made the playoffs this year after adding Patrick Beverley ahead of the 2020-21 season, while the Pelicans also made the playoffs after trading for CJ McCollum before the trade deadline.
The Phoenix Suns ended up getting eliminated in the second round this year, and there is no doubt that this was disappointing after they finished with the best regular-season record. There is also a chance that the Suns might lose Deandre Ayton in free agency, and it was reported that they will explore sign-and-trades for the athletic center.
Hopefully, we see the Phoenix Suns get back to the NBA Finals. There is no doubt that they have the talent to do so on the roster currently, but perhaps they will make a win-now move to give them a better chance of winning a championship this offseason.
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