00:00As the NBA draft draws closer, ESPN's Jeremy Wu has released a mock draft that sends two Arizona
00:07Wildcats into the first round and presents a particularly fascinating scenario for Suns fans.
00:12A local guard landing in Phoenix in the second round, both of Arizona's early entrance submissions
00:17to the NBA draft, guard Braden Burries and forward Koa Pete, are projected by Wu to be
00:22first-round selections. The headline for Phoenix, however, is Wu's prediction that Arizona guard
00:27Jaden Bradley stays in-state and is taken by the Suns with the 47th overall pick.
00:32That projection comes with an important note. Suns point guards Colin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin
00:38are entering free agency, but the team has many reasons to re-sign them. Wu's placement of Bradley
00:44in Phoenix follows a senior season in which he averaged 13.3 points on 46.3% shooting, 3.4
00:51rebounds,
00:52and 4.4 assists per game. Bradley was named Big 12 Player of the Year and earned all Big 12
00:59first
00:59team and all defensive honors. At 6'3 and 200 pounds, he is listed as the number 56 overall prospect
01:06on
01:07ESPN's list of the best available prospects. Turning to the first round, Wu Project's Braden
01:12Burries to make his way into the top 10, landing with the Chicago Bulls at number 9 overall.
01:18In his lone season in Tucson, Burries averaged 16.1 points on 49.1% shooting, 4.9 rebounds,
01:26and 2.4 assists per game, collecting all Big 12 first team, all-freshman team, and AP All-American
01:33honorable mention recognition. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard sits at number 10 overall on ESPN's
01:40big board, and Wu foresees his strong play on both ends of the court, helping him become another young
01:45piece for Chicago to build around. Further down the board, Wu mocks Koa Pete to the New York Knicks
01:50at number 24 overall. The Gilbert native averaged 14.1 points on 52.8% shooting, 5.6 rebounds,
01:58and 2.6 assists per game across 36 contests. Along with his all-Big 12 third team and all-freshman
02:06nods, Pete was named Most Outstanding Player and Westall Region during the Wildcats' Final Four run.
02:11He is currently listed as the number 22 overall prospect on ESPN's best available list. Although
02:18there are concerns about his rawness as an outside shooter, Wu expects Pete's 6-foot-8, 235-pound frame
02:25and overall court presence to make him a day-one selection. With a versatile, defensively sound
02:32guard like Bradley potentially available in the second round, do you see him as the perfect homegrown
02:37fit for the Suns' backcourt? Or do you believe the team should focus entirely on keeping Gillespie
02:42and Goodwin in Phoenix?
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