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The Phoenix Suns are making headlines this offseason due to speculation about what might happen with star players Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
However, the Suns' roster issues go even further than what will happen with those two. The Suns desperately need an entire roster overhaul, so while a trade involving either of those allows for flexibility, they also need to bolster their depth, especially down low.
With the 2025 NBA Draft approaching, rumors have emerged about what centers Phoenix is looking at to boost its frontcourt depth.
Jake Fischer at The Stein Line recently said that Phoenix seems to be looking at two different prospects at the center position that they could draft with the 29th pick in the first round. He said that Ryan Kalkbrenner and Maxime Raynaud are the two prospects under consideration after recent workouts.
He elaborated, “I was told that Creighton's 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner, to name one example, recently worked out for the Suns and is very much in consideration with that No. 29 pick. The same goes for Stanford's Maxime Raynaud.”
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Kalkbrenner spent five seasons with the Creighton Blue Jays and was one of the best players in school history. He averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on 65.3% shooting from the field and 34.4% from behind the three-point line. The biggest reason he would be a solid fit in Phoenix is that, on top of his skill, he has incredible size at 7-foot-1 and weighs 270 pounds.
Reynaud is similar to Kalkbrenner in size and skill and offers many of the same things. Last season, he averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on 46.7% shooting from the field and 34.7% from behind the three-point line. He is also 7-foot-1 and weighs 250 pounds.
With these two players, Phoenix would address a low need. Since trading away DeAndre Ayton, they have struggled to find a consistent big man. Jusuf Nurkic was very inconsistent, and then the Suns traded him away to the Charlotte Hornets. After that, it has been a revolving door of players at that position with no standouts and most struggling.
Kalkbrenner and Reynaud have the skill set to step out and shoot a three-pointer, but they are also big enough to get down low and hold their own against multiple big men throughout the NBA. If the Suns decide to draft one of them, it would be one of the significant steps Phoenix needs to take in reshaping its roster, on top of trading one of its big stars.
