As reigning Western Conference champions, the Phoenix Suns find themselves owning the 2021 NBA Draft’s second-to-last pick. After concluding such a successful campaign last week, the Suns certainly proved themselves an already well-refined group, ready to attack the 2021-22 season— which justifies their position behind almost every other team.
So come draft night, the Suns will enter with a less likely chance to improve their roster. Obviously, this makes the draft a slightly less exciting event for Phoenix fans this year, but the concept behind it remains fair.
However, the Suns did not get to where they are today by doing strictly “what’s fair” all the time. General Manager James Jones plays chess, not checkers—and once again should be looking to find his way around any roadblocks between himself and a high-value pick. Doing so starts by organizing a trade.
Rumblings involving different teams looking to swap picks around the draft’s earlier half have already ensued this week, so the eagerness required to make an exchange already seems to exist from a general standpoint. Moving all the way up into the top-10 range feels like a fool’s errand for the Suns, and one likely calling for them to give up an already established star player.
With the team fully committed to a “win now” strategy, that simply cannot happen. However, if the Suns navigate their way through their pre-draft negotiations advantageously, some mid-round picks might come within their reach.