The 30 most painful NBA Draft pass-ups since 2000

NBA Draft Mistake #19: Phoenix drafting Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic.

When the Phoenix Suns landed the number one overall pick in 2018, it became immediately clear that they had their sights set on then-Arizona Wildcat Deandre Ayton. Nearly five years after the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s clear that the Suns made a big mistake in selecting him.

Although Ayton is far from a draft bust, it’s apparent that despite his physical gifts and skill, he isn’t the franchise player that they need him to be. Meanwhile, a player that they passed on, superstar Luka Doncic, is one of the top players in the NBA.

Doncic was one of the most accomplished draft prospects ever, but he was taken third overall and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Passing up Doncic came back to haunt them when he and the Mavericks eliminated the Suns in the 2022 West Semifinals despite the Suns having the best record in the league.

Now, the Suns are reportedly shopping Ayton after another embarrassing playoff loss. However, they are unlikely to get anywhere near the value that they missed out on by picking him instead of Doncic. While most people could have foreseen that Doncic would be a better player than Ayton, few expected there to be as big a gulf between the two.