The Phoenix Suns appear to be preparing to move on from Dragan Bender — the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Bender has been a bust through his first two seasons and has failed to crack the Phoenix rotation this season. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Suns will not pick up his fourth-year option. Bender had this to say to Wojnarowski:
“Of course I wish they picked up the option, but I am not going to let this stop me from reaching my goals. I am 20 and I will keep working to make it in this league whether it's in Phoenix or another team.”
Dragan Bender entered the league with sky-high expectations, but he has failed to live up to that hype. Bender has only played a handful of minutes in garbage time this season and doesn't figure to factor much into the future plans for the Suns. Deandre Ayton looks to be the big man Phoenix intends to build around.
This doesn't mean that Bender's career in the NBA is over. Teams are often willing to take a flyer on a high draft pick who didn't work out with his original team. The New York Knicks alone have brought in four lottery picks who didn't work out in their first stops.
There's no guarantee that a team takes that chance on Dragan Bender, but his size and skill could have some teams wondering if it might be a good idea to give him a shot.
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