The Phoenix Suns should not trade up for a big
By Kyle Manthe
On Tuesday night the Phoenix Suns won the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history! This makes it much easier to make a trade back up into the top-10 to select a second elite prospect. However with a big man heavy top of the draft this is something the Suns should not do on draft day.
As everyone knows the only thing better than getting one top prospect in a draft is getting two right? Just look at Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender!
In all seriousness, I am not suggesting that the big men in this draft will produce like either of these two early in their careers, also, and in fairness to both of them, we still do not know what kinds of players they will develop into.
The point still remains though that it would not be wise for the Phoenix Suns to draft a big man this year unless it is Deandre Ayton.
With that in mind, it is very likely that Ayton will be the Phoenix Suns’ selection in the draft. Even if it is Luka Doncic, the Suns should still use their assets in other places than trading up for anything but the number one big man in the draft. The reason for this has everything to do with the Suns’ current trajectory and predicted offseason plans and less to do with the quality of players in the top-ten.
Trading up to get into the 3-10 range would likely require the 16th pick, a proven player such as T.J. Warren, and at least one future asset. The trade for Marquese Chriss in 2016 cost the Suns the 13th and 27th picks along with the rights to Bogdan Bogdanović. All of those assets only allowed the Suns to jump up five slots to number 8. This years class is also expected to be stronger at the top, which likely means that the teams holding the picks will more highly value the potential player they can draft, and mean that bidding wars may erupt that could drive the cost sky-high.
The big men the Suns might have interest in include Marvin Bagley, Mohamed Bamba, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Wendell Carter. Outside of Bagley, none of these players are expected to be ready to step into a significant role for a contending team right away. This could lead to an overabundance of young and raw big men, especially if Bender and Chriss are still on the roster.
Perhaps the biggest issue with trading up for a big man is that there is a strong free agency class for centers and forwards, along with an underwhelming class for the three perimeter positions.
There is also the potential for a strong group of big men to be available in the trade market including possibly Karl-Anthony Towns. It would be far-fetched that the Suns could make two trades for players at these positions.
If the Suns do plan to be more competitive starting next season, trading away assets for a developmental big could hold them back. It would then force them to double down in free agency to acquire playoff ready talent. That would take away the teams cap space and leave the guard position for the most part unaddressed.
Although we know it is fun to select top draft prospects, that does not mean it is always smart. Teams just starting to contend should be looking for instant impact players and saving assets for a star. It would be unwise for the Phoenix Suns to trade up to draft another raw big man to their roster.