Is 2nd REALLY as good as Number 1?
All of that said: what if the Phoenix Suns are desperate for the first overall pick and Zion Williamson.
Sure, they like Ja, but they LOVE Zion. Is there an recent trade from the second overall pick to the first that the Suns could use as a road map to make such a move happen?
Unfortunately, I will argue that there is no way that any team selecting first overall is going to give up on Zion prior to even selecting him. Some have compared him to LeBron James. Others (like myself) have compared him to Charles Barkley. Those are two amazing projections that will be taken into account if the opportunity to trade back arises.
However, I covered with the third overall post the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics swapping their respective 1st to 3rd’s, but that situation was nowhere near the same as this one.
The last time the second overall pick was traded for the first overall pick was…well, based on my research, it has never happened. The first overall pick has been traded a number of times, but never for the second overall pick.
Could the the Phoenix Suns be the first team to move up one spot from second to first and acquire Zion Williamson first overall?
No. But, it’s fun to dream, isn’t it?
Either way, there are many reasons to be excited about the Suns owning the second overall pick, if that’s how the lottery shakes things out. Not only does recent history show that that pick offers teams considerable talent, but if they wanted to trade back for any reason, there would be plenty of offers available to them for sure.
Although that scenario is highly unlikely. If Phoenix is picking second, they will take Ja Morant. They need a point guard, he is the second best player on every conceivable big board, and it just makes perfect sense.
If you are hoping the Phoenix Suns leave the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery (and even the offseason as a whole) with the best available point guard, then you know that being second best in this draft really is as good as being number one.