Phoenix Suns 3 Trade Assets to Acquire a 2022 NBA Draft Pick

Going to the NBA Draft but without a pick is like going Black Friday shopping the day after you lost your wallet. The Phoenix Suns, along with three other teams, find themselves in this awkward position to begin what’s often the most exciting day of the season for the league at large.

While acquiring Chris Paul now three summers ago, the Suns dealt their first round for this year’s draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They traded their second rounder more recently though, sending it to the Indiana Pacers for Torrey Craig just prior to this past season’s trade deadline.

With both the Pacers and Thunder looking to add more fuel to their rebuilding efforts, they both look primed for solid nights, each carrying at least three picks in total. The Suns remain on the outside looking in though, banging on the Barclays Center gates and screaming “let me in” like Eric Andre.

However, James Jones and the Phoenix front office should be able to find a key inside if they look in the right place. Not wanting to dish out too much future draft capital though, that place might be their own roster.

On draft night, contending teams often trade players attached to bloated contracts or ones that resemble bad fits for late round picks. The Suns and the Brooklyn Nets even engaged in such a deal last summer, as Phoenix added Landry Shamet, while the Nets acquired Phoenix’s first rounder that turned into Day’Ron Sharpe.

With only a fraction of teams carrying cap space into this coming offseason, this draft is believed to be a powder keg for trades, with many teams viewing it as their best chance to improve. If the Suns want to join the fun, they need to take a long look at their roster, including these three potential trade assets.