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Phoenix Suns should trade the 59th pick to the Los Angeles Lakers

By Lucas Johnson

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 8: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 8: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Instead of the Phoenix Suns trying to figure out who to select with the 59th pick of the draft, the club should trade the pick to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Usually Phoenix Suns fans shouldn’t concern themselves about any news concerning the Los Angeles Lakers, however there’s always an exception. Recently reported by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, the Lakers worked out Lonzo Ball‘s younger brother. LiAngelo Ball isn’t even on NBADraft.net‘s mock draft, but the fact that he worked out for the Lakers means that their is some level of interest from LAL. The Lakers may not want to use their 47th pick on Ball, but they still may want to draft Ball at the end and this is where the the Suns come in. If the Lakers really want Ball, but would only draft him in the late second round, then the Suns should offer the 59th pick. Depending on how bad the Lakers want Ball, the Suns could trade the pick and receive more value than it’s actual worth.

If the Lakers decide that Ball has enough potential and they want to appease his older brother, then trading for the Suns 59th pick would be wise. The Suns should evaluate the full value of this pick and see what price the Lakers are willing to pay.

The key piece in this hypothetical trade for the Suns is Thomas Bryant. Bryant is a raw center with potential. In his two season playing in college, Bryant put up a solid average of 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 37.3 percent from the 3-point line before getting drafting in last year’s draft. Bryant played in limited minutes with the Lakers last year and put up stats that reflect the raw nature of his game. However, he put up a very impressive stat line in the G-League that reflects the potential he does have.

Per Game Table
SeasonTmGGSMPFG%3P%2P%FT%ORBDRBTRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
2017-18SBL3730.7.597.364.743.6741.95.47.32.10.61.51.62.219.7
Career3730.7.597.364.743.6741.95.47.32.10.61.51.62.219.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/27/2018.

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Now if the this hypothetical trade does occur, then the Suns would still have to wait for Bryant to develop, but he could end up being a nice stretch center off the bench. Bryant’s shot blocking and rebounding are other attributes the Suns could develop if the team can acquire him. If the Suns get the Lakers future protected second round pick in the 2022 draft then great, however if they don’t it’s not a big loss as adding Bryant was the main goal of this trade. The Lakers give up Bryant for the 59th pick, because of the value LiAngelo Ball has to their organization both on and off the court.

Adding LiAngelo Ball with the 59th pick would allow the Lakers to part with the younger Ball brother easier if the union doesn’t seem to work. However, adding Ball in the draft versus as an undrafted free agent would do a lot in building trust with Lonzo Ball and his father Lavar Ball. With Lonzo Ball set to be one of the faces of the young Lakers franchise, making sure the front office has a good relationship with the Ball family is important and drafting LiAngelo Ball would go a long way in doing so.

Next: The Top-5 NBA players selected 16th overall

If the Lakers want to make Lonzo Ball and his family happy, then drafting his little brother would help in that regard. The Phoenix Suns could help make it easier for the Lakers by trading them the 59th pick. If the Suns could pull off a trade like the hypothetical one proposed above and get a player like Bryant in return, then general manager Ryan McDonough should try to make it happen. The Suns would be much better off having Bryant than any player they could draft at the 59th pick and that’s why the Suns should try to trade that pick to the Lakers.

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