Throughout the draft process, Chriss went from being a considerable late-lottery or mid-first round talent to rising up in the draft as a potential top 3 draft candidate. In the days leading up to the draft, Chriss agreed to terms on a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike. He ended up being selected with the eighth overall pick in the draft by the Sacramento Kings. Chriss was later traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night for the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanović and the rights of the 13th and 28th picks of the draft, Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissière. He became the first recruit outside of the top 50 rankings to be drafted in the top 10 as a one-and-done player since the rule was instituted in 2005. On July 7, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. Chriss played in three games for the Suns during the Summer League before developing an illness that ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.