Phoenix Suns should trade up in the draft with the Philadelphia 76ers

The Phoenix Suns should take advantage of the Philadelphia 76ers plethora of second round draft picks and trade for another high second round pick.

Currently the Phoenix Suns own the 31st and the 59th picks in the second round of the NBA draft this summer. While having the 31st pick is very valuable for the Suns, the 59th pick rarely produces quality players in the NBA. The Suns could totally use their last pick of the draft on a draft-and-stash player, but the team should continue to try to find another quality player in the second round. Trading for another high second round is a strong option for the club and one very plausible way of moving up in the second round is to trade a player that doesn’t fit in the Suns future. The Philadelphia 76ers have four second round picks and six picks total in the draft and is the best trade partner for the Suns to move up in the second round.

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The Sixers own the 38th, 39th, 56th and 60th, as well as 10th and 26th pick in the first round. If Philly keeps all their picks, they would probably utilize the draft-and-stash option as they have done in the 2017 draft with Jonah Bolden, Anzejs Pasecniks and Mathias Lessort. It’s doubtful that the Sixers want to continue to draft-and-stash picks that they can’t trade. The Suns could take advantage of the Sixers in that regard. There are two players that the Suns could offer to gain a second round pick in a trade.

In this scenario it’s a straight up swap for Davon Reed for the Sixers 38th pick. Dealing with injury didn’t make Reed’s transition to the NBA any easier and a change of scenery could do him well. Reed could fit very well in Philly with his style of play. If the Sixers don’t like what they see from Reed this summer, they can cut him without any major salary cap implications based on his contract. NBADraft.net has sharpshooting wing Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk from Kansas, which could help to solidify the wing depth for the Suns.

Getting Jerryd Bayless would help give whichever young point guard that ends up being on the Suns roster next season, a veteran to learn from. Bayless’ contract is less than Jared Dudley‘s at this point as well. Bayless is still very playable and can play off the ball when Devin Booker gets hot. Dudley is a veteran that can play the style of defense that Philly likes and can space the floor for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Bayless got lost on the bench in Philly due to the team’s great youth last season, so Phoenix is providing a player that will definitely play with the Sixers for a player that didn’t and one second round pick is a pretty good trade. The Suns could use the 39th pick on a player like Jevon Carter or Malik Newman based on their projections on NBADraft.net.

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The Phoenix Suns get a solid second round pick in both scenarios without giving up anything of too much value to Philly. The Sixers get the potential of solid returns in both hypothetical trade scenarios. Regardless if these proposed trades actually happen or not, the Suns front office should contact the Sixers to see if they can nab another second round pick.