Would the Phoenix Suns trade down with the New York Knicks?

A hypothetical rumor has been brought up and it’s at least something worth thinking about. Would the Phoenix Suns trade down with the New York Knicks?

The Phoenix Suns have a 14% chance at getting the first pick in the NBA Draft for the second year in a row. Zion is obviously the top prospect but for some reason there has been a lot of talk on the net about the Suns preferring Morant.

Empire Sports Media brought up an interesting hypothetical in one of their recent articles.

If Phoenix ends up being “awarded” the number one overall pick and New York gets the second, would the Suns be willing to trade down to allow the Knicks to land Zion?

First off, regardless of the team’s need for a point guard and Ja being the best in the draft, Williamson is a generational talent that the franchise should bring in if given the opportunity.

However, it would just be so Suns-y (Yes, that’s a word. Fans understand.) for them to pass up on a jaw dropping prospect just to fill a need. It would look simply foolish for the Suns to send Adam Silver a card with Morant’s name on it for the first overall pick when Zion is on the board.

But, if the team is indeed serious on Ja over Zion, it would make a lot of sense for them to do this deal. It would also look a lot better on them. Yeah, they’d still be passing on Zion but they’d be getting value in return and not just looking him over.

Along with the 2nd overall pick, the Knicks could include anything from the Dallas Mavericks unprotected 1st round pick, a future New York first and young up-and-coming players such as Frank Ntilikina, Allonzo Trier, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson.

Ntilikina wouldn’t be as fitting with Morant now on the roster, if that’s the name the Suns call. Although you could make a case for bringing him in and letting him sprout off the bench or seeing which of him or Morant ends up blossoming better for the team.

Knox is another wing/forward that wouldn’t match too well with the team having so many of them already. However, depending how much money Kelly Oubre would demand in free agency it might not be bad to bring him in.

Trier is a former teammate of Deandre Ayton, has showed some grit and would be a good backup for Devin Booker.

The name out of these that would make the most sense is Robinson. The Suns already have Ayton but there’s a possibility the two could play together in the front court if Deandre keeps expanding his game. Also, Richaun Holmes has proven to be a solid backup but he may get an offer for more money than the Suns would be willing to pay.

Phoenix needs rebounding and Mitchell provides that. The Suns need shot blocking and rim protection and Robinson provides that. He averaged 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per-36 minutes. He was the second best shot blocker in the league, ranking 2nd in the NBA in blocks per game as well as 4th in total blocks this season as a rookie.

The man has serious upside and barely turned 21. Add the Mavericks first and a future Knicks first to that. If the team is truly going to pass on Zion, all of a sudden they have something to show for it.