Phoenix Suns make shocking trade up for Mikal Bridges

The Phoenix Suns have traded 16 and Miami’s 2021 first round pick to the 76ers for Mikal Bridges, the talented wing from Villanva

Wow! Just when it looked like the Suns draft might be less exciting than we thought, they make a trade out of nowhere. They’ve acquired the 10th overall pick, Mikal Bridges, from the Philadelphia 76ers, and he could be an exciting fit with the team.

Bridges is an athletic wing with long arms and a wet three point stroke. He lead an extremely talented Villanova team to it’s second national title in two years, in both of which he played a key role. From sixth man to starter to top ten pick, Bridges’ development over the past three seasons has been extremely impressive.

He’ll play next season at 22 years old, the same as Devin Booker, and his defensive prowess should fit beautifully next to Josh Jackson. Both were top defenders in college, and while Jackson’s defense wasn’t great his rookie year, he figures to make a hug jump next season. Pairing two long athletes like that on the wing should ease a lot of the concerns about the Suns future defense.

Bridges improved his three point shot each year in college, going from 29.9 percent his freshman year to 43.5 percent his junior and final season. His threat from deep will be huge for keeping the floor spread for his teammates. And he has the potential to be a game changer on defense.

While Bridges has the ability to take guys off the dribble, he doesn’t have the ball handling skills or vision to be a ball dominant player, so the Suns will still be looking for another guard to pair with Booker.

But Bridges is an elite athlete who’s quick in passing lanes with his long arms. And he can jump out of the gym, so he’s always a threat to make a game-changing highlight play.

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The Phoenix Suns made an exciting move tonight, and Bridges will be a great piece on the wing going forward.