Could the Suns Trade their Pick?
I already discussed the possibility of trading their pick to move up should it be a little lower than they prefer, but what if the Suns want to expedite their entry into the playoffs and flip the pick for a package of young players that could form the heart of a playoff team next season?
Some players 26 and older might not be worth the value of trading the rights to a 19-year old. However, some players could.
Take the oft mentioned Andre Drummond, for instance. Drummond is only 23 now (he will be 24 when the season starts) and already a bonafied star. Drummond would be a serious upgrade to either Tyson Chandler or Alex Len at center, an upgrade that does not appear possible via the draft. If the Pistons would be willing to accept a Booker-less package that was centered around the Suns’ pick while keeping Eric Bledsoe, would a package be worth it to trade that top pick?
The list of potential trades involving the pick would be short and Ryan McDonough would have to have something fantastic thrown in his lap that would make the Suns a near-guaranteed playoff participant this next season to consider it. But the ear must be willing to listen and the mind open to the idea.
In Summation
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As mentioned before, this is going to be the most important draft for the Phoenix Suns in a very long time and the most interesting since at least last year. With a guaranteed top-five pick and the best odds at drafting number one overall since 1969, the Suns have a chance with multiple scenarios to either land a franchise player in the draft, multiple franchise players in the draft, or a franchise player through a trade of their pick(s).
And when thinking about it a little deeper, it even seems like even if the Suns drafted number one overall and got the player they wanted most, that if McDonough didn’t make some sort of a draft day trade that the entire day will be a bit anticlimactic.
Next: Phoenix Suns Offseason Plans Part 2: Trades
Regardless, there are a lot of options for McDonough to choose from, and without a doubt dozens of trade offers to mull over that will reach him over the next few weeks. In the end, since this tank has his fingerprints all over the blueprints, he’d better hit a homerun.