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Valley of the Suns
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Phoenix Suns Offseason Plans Part 1: The Draft

By Adam Maynes

Feb 4, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) dribbles against UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) dribbles against UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Possible Draft Day Trades

Mar 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) against the Los Angeles Lakers at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) against the Los Angeles Lakers at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

What value the future Miami picks hold is suddenly up in the air now that the Heat have worked their way from the bottom of the league early in the year, to tying the Chicago Bulls in regular season record at 41-41, missing out on the Playoffs by one game. Finishing the season 29-11 after a 12-30 start Miami proved a fortitude greater than any other team over any period of time this season. Grouped with the surprise 2016-17 season and the possible re-addition of Chris Bosh next season, the Heat presumably now have some of the necessary pieces to attract free agents and build for another playoff run in 2018, wiping out the value of that first round pick. Certainly there is no guarantee, but in the East, it isn’t difficult to add enough pieces to become a top-five team in the Conference.

And yet, a first round pick still holds value regardless of where it sits and is a valuable trade chip. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the Suns land the fourth or fifth pick in the draft, and Boston is awarded the first or second overall. Could the Suns’ pick plus a future Miami pick entice McDonough’s old mentor into a trade?

Last season McDonough shocked us all by showing an incredible mastery of the trade market and player evaluation by trading back into the number eight position to select Marquese Chriss without giving up the fourth overall pick or a single player on the roster. Could another such trade happen this year as well? If he selects Josh Jackson with his first pick, could he then trade back into a fifth through eighth spot and select a point guard in either Smith or Fox? (On the other hand, could he select a point guard and trade back into the top-ten to select Issacs or Tatum?)

Further wetting the lips of those Suns fans hoping for a blockbuster draft day trade is the possibility of moving one or any number of Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Jared Dudley, or T.J. Warren for a draft pick. Potentially only Eric Bledsoe might be worth a lottery pick to another team, although the likeliness of it being any higher than six is slim. Yet any of those names (certainly among others) could garner a late(r) first round pick from a team who realizes that the addition of a veteran makes their roster better next season more so than the addition of a mid-to-late first round pick. Ryan McDnough is an evaluation guru, so if he has his eyes set on a little known player with the potential caliber of Nikola Jokic, he may stop at nothing to acquire him.

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