Conclusion
Cauley-Stein probably won’t be on the board when the Suns pick, so barring a trade, he shouldn’t end up factoring into their draft day plans a whole lot. But for a team that’s talked so much about drafting the “best player available,” maybe a trade is exactly what’s needed.
However, after WCS is off the board, I think the Suns could target a better fit for the team in a player like Bobby Portis, who is a better rebounder and shooter than Cauley-Stein — although Portis’ ceiling is notably lower than his.
But then again, so is almost everyone’s.
At some point, picking in the 10-15 range of the lottery stops helping you get all that much closer to contention. And if the Suns feel they’re at the point where adding a player like Portis, Lyles, etc. won’t make them that much better, and that the direction of the team should be to draft the best player on the board, then I think they should seriously consider adding to their options of that best player by trading up.
Personally, I don’t see that happening, but one thing is for sure: If the Suns do take a chance on Cauley-Stein, they absolutely need to be prepared to bring in shooters to surround the team, or it could really hurt the play of just about everyone. Although, they probably need to add a pure shooter or two regardless.
It should be really interesting to see what the team does on draft day, although with that intrigue, comes the sinking, all-too-familiar feelings from previous drafts, where fans have walked away with a “that’s all” feeling. At least Suns fans, that is…
Next: Cameron Payne: Phoenix Suns Draft Profile