Houston Rockets select Khaman Maluach in 2025 NBA Draft, trade to Phoenix Suns

Duke C Khaman Maluach, as one of the tallest players in the draft, played well in a traditional role at center this past season for the Blue Devils. That, along with his expected development with some more versatility to his game, is what has earned him a high selection tonight in the NBA Draft.

The Phoenix Suns have selected Maluach in the 2025 NBA Draft. They did so with the No. 10 overall pick. The Suns received the pick from the Houston Rockets after trading Kevin Durant.

Maluach started in all of the 39 games last season for Duke. He averaged 8.6 points (71.2% FG), 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in those appearances for the Blue Devils. That made him an Honorable Mention for All-ACC and earned him votes for ACC Defensive Player of the Year while being part of the All-Rookie Team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That was part of Duke going 35-4 (19-1), one of the better records in program history, as they won the regular season and conference tournament in the ACC and made the Final Four.

That’s after Maluach, a native of Rumbek, South Sudan, was a product out of the NBA Academy in Africa. He rated as a Five-Star+ prospect there as the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He also ranked as the No. 2 center in the class behind only Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State, Kentucky). That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’d arrive in Durham as part of the No. 1 class in the country, highlighted by Maluach, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel, with six commitments who were four-stars or better and each rated in the Top-40 nationally.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Khaman Maluach

Maluach is already a highly-valued prospect in this draft with the skillset that comes with his size at 7’1″, 250 pounds with a 7’6″ wingspan and a 9’6″ reach. However, adding more to his offensive game, specifically a jumpshot, would take him to another level as far as a pro. That was the assessment of him by On3’s James Fletcher coming out of the NBA Draft Combine.

“Khaman Maluach brings intrigue given his size and athletic traits on display at Duke, paired with promise he can stretch the floor. While it has not been on display publicly, his ability to sell teams on pick-and-pop upside could shoot his value up in the final month,” Fletcher wrote in May. “Meanwhile, rim protection and rim-running still provide him plenty value to offer.”

RotoWire.com noted similar aspects of Maluach in their profile with him coming into the NBA. He has what he needs to excel inside on both ends but could be a jumper away from really developing from a product into something else. With that, they compared him to the likes of Donovan Clingan (UConn), Hassan Whiteside (Marshall), Mo Bamba (Texas), and Zach Edey (Purdue).

“Maluach didn’t showcase much of an offensive repertoire at Duke and was limited to hanging around the dunker’s spot waiting for lobs, dunks or putbacks. He showed a willingness to let open jumpers fly, and while the mechanics looked fine, the results were not there,” they wrote. “Defense is where Maluach really thrives. At 7-foot-2, Maluach has the size and length to be an elite defender in the NBA, but he’ll have to work on his technique to stay out of foul trouble at the next level.”

“Maluach is a developmental project with a high floor given his defensive projections,” they said.