3 problems the Suns solved at the NBA Draft
By Luke Duffy
1. Additional players to trade
One of the penalties for being in the second apron is that the Suns can't stack contracts together in order to trade them for a star making that much money on their own. So they can't take three rookies and Little's $7.2 million owed to him next season as an example, and go out and get another established player.
But the Suns can still use these incoming rookies as part of trades, just like they did with Camara last summer. There's no telling between now and opening night what kinds of players might suddenly become available, and the more assets the Suns have to get a deal done, the better.
Next. Suns beat out stiff competition to sign undrafted big to two-way deal. Suns beat out stiff competition to sign undrafted big to two-way deal. dark
They can now move their 2031 first round pick - a valuable selection given it is unclear where the franchise will be at that point - and can attach that to all manner of players going out in a deal. Dunn's defensive chops are the reason the Suns drafted him, but it is also why plenty of other teams out there would be interested in bringing him into the fold.
Players such as Kelly Oubre Jr., Dario Saric and Cory Joseph were all making roughly the same amount last season that Dunn will make in his rookie year. Not that the Suns would give up a first-rounder for an expiring contract for example, but you get the point. Deals can still be done and the more ways the organization has to get what it needs, the better their chances of winning.