Analyst Looks Back on Suns' Major Draft Blunder

It's been nine years since the Phoenix Suns had two top 10 picks in the 2016 NBA Draft.

While the Suns were spared from taking Ben Simmons, who went No. 1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, the team took European big man Dragan Bender and Washington's Marquese Chriss, and both turned out to be massive mistakes.

Bleacher Report writer Matt Velazquez looked back on the team's decision to take Bender and Chriss instead of Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis, who was the No. 11 overall pick.

"The Suns could have used that No. 4 pick on Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray, but with Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe already in the backcourt, it made sense for Phoenix to try to bolster its corps of big men. So in this do-over, we'll slot Domantas Sabonis to Phoenix instead of Bender," Velazquez wrote.

"While Sabonis wouldn't have contributed to building a five-out offense, his solid inside scoring, exceptional rebounding and awareness in the passing game would have been major boons for Phoenix's offense. A three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, there's no doubt the Suns would trade Bender, Chriss and their 2017 first-round pick (a No. 4 selection effectively wasted on Josh Jackson) for Sabonis if they could do things over again."

The Suns' poor choices after Devin Booker was taken in 2015 certainly have set back the franchise, and if the team had made different decisions in these years, it's possible that the team would still be a contender today.

Every decision sparks a new timeline, and the Suns could have a different trajectory if just one of these choices went in a different direction.

The Suns will look to move forward as they have the No. 29 overall pick in next week's draft, which begins with the first round on Wednesday and the second on Thursday.