Suns G League Team Lands Big Names in Expansion Draft

The Phoenix Suns have a few top picks on their G League roster.

May 17, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones speaks during a press conference to announce Mike Budenholzer as head coach. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns new affiliate - the Valley Suns - just finished up an expansion draft after being officially brought back as a G-league team within the last several months.

The Suns selected fourteen "unprotected" players in the expansion draft and will have the rights to said players for two seasons, per the G-League.

For clarification, these fourteen players may or may not play for the team in 2024-25, but the Suns will have the rights to each player if they were/are to return to the G-League.

The 14 players the Suns selected:

• Garrison Brooks

• Chaundee Brown Jr.

• Gary Clark

• Matt Lewis

• Didi Louzada

• Theo Maledon

• Emmanuel Mudiay

• Mychal Mulder

• Jahlil Okafor

• Justin Smith

• Denzel Valentine

• Quinndary Weatherspoon

• Lindell Wigginton

• Trevion Williams

Among the fourteen players, there are likely four that should catch the eye of a Suns fan.

Maledon was with the Suns on a two-way contract from December 17 through March 4, appaearing in 4 NBA contests.

Mudiay was the 7th overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Denver Nuggets, but hasn't appaeared in an NBA game since the 2021-22 season.

Okafor was the 3rd overall pick in the same draft. He started his career in strong fashion but has been out of the league since the 2020-21 season, largely due to the league not having as high of a demand for his player archetype.

Valentine was a notable face in college basketball at Michigan State before not working out long term with the Chicago Bulls. He last appeared with the Utah Jazz in 2022.

This cast of players are largely unheralded guys that could be worth taking a flyer on for various reasons, but the ultimate goal of this upcoming season is player development and building a long-term identity in that same fashion.

The Suns G-League affiliate are set to play home games at Mullett Arena, as announced nearly a month ago.