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Top three names for Suns in post-lottery 2025 NBA mock drafts

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated May 13, 2025 6:43 PM ET

New Phoenix Suns general manager will have a lot of hurdles to clear in his first season with the franchise. Find a new head coach, trade one or more of the team’s Big 3 and countless other bulleted points to check off to fix the embarrassing 2024-2025 season. During his introductory press conference, Gregory said that team’s are rebuilt through the draft to add youth to the roster, and after last night’s NBA draft lottery it’s becoming clear where he goes at 29th overall.

Multiple media outlets have released their first mock drafts, which included the Suns first round pick they received from the Utah Jazz via the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Who do the Suns take at 29th:

Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor: Florida G Walter Clayton Jr.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone: UAB F Yaxel Leneborg

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie: Ratiopharm Ulm G Ben Saraf

O’Connor has Phoenix taking the Most Outstanding Player from the 2025 NCAA tournament in Clayton. The NCAA champion averaged 22.3 points per game during the tournament, leading the Gators to their third national championship. The 22-year-old guard averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his senior season.

Clayton was one of the most exciting players in Division 1 hoops and has the scoring to play in the NBA. The Suns have a surplus of scoring guards, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and more. However, the All-American might be too good for Gregory to pass on at 29th overall.

Lendeborg might not be available for Phoenix, as he has money on the table to stay in school and transfer to Michigan. However, if he chooses to stay in the NBA draft, Lendeborg is an athletic 6’9 “wing who is a scoring and rebounding threat. In his senior season, the ACC Tourney MVP averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds.

The previous two prospects are much older but don’t have the experience that 19-year-old guard Ben Saraf has in playing professional basketball. This past summer, Saraf won the MVP of the Under-18 European Championships. The 6’6 guard averaged 12.1 points on 45% shooting and 4.3 assists in the Basketball Bundesliga League.

Lendeborg and Saraf both bring much-needed size to the Suns, who definitely need it after last year’s defensive failures.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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