The upcoming NBA offseason is a crucial one for the Phoenix Suns after their disappointing season.
Phoenix struggled throughout the 2024-25 NBA season as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
Of course, this was a terrible result for the Suns after they were expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference due to their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker (1), Bradley Beal (3) and Kevin Durant (35)
Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker (1), Bradley Beal (3) and Kevin Durant (35)
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Instead, Phoenix finished 11th in the West with an abysmal 36-46 record and they now have a pivotal summer ahead of them as they try to turn the franchise around.
Because of their struggles, the Suns are expected to move on from both Durant and Beal this summer to retool their roster around Devin Booker.
While the Suns have multiple areas of need heading into the offseason, especially if they deal both Durant and Beal, the main position they need to improve is the center position.
That is exactly what Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman believes they will do in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft as he has them selecting Maxime Raynaud 29th overall.
Raynaud is a 7-foot-1 French center that played all four seasons in college at Stanford.
In his senior season with the Cardinal, he averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range.
Maxime Raynaud
Mar 13, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) after a dunk against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Spectrum Center.
© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The seven-footer also impressed at the NBA Draft Combine last week and he is now projected to move into the first round of the draft, which is exactly where Wasserman has the Suns taking him.
With Raynaud’s height and outside shooting ability, there is no doubt that he would be a great fit with Phoenix, especially due to their lack of frontcourt depth outside of Nick Richards.
Raynaud would give them another solid scorer alongside Booker in the starting lineup and he would also give them a great rim protector, something they did not have last season.