The NBA Draft is mere days away, and the Phoenix Suns are watching the drama play out from the sidelines. They do have the 29th pick - via the Brooklyn Nets - and have many positions of need to fill on their roster. A young and athletic big man - despite taking Oso Ighodaro in the second round last year - is certainly one, while a long-term floor general also holds appeal.
Really though it is the Kevin Durant dilemma that is their most pressing issue, as the franchise struggles to find a suitable package in order to move on from the 36-year-old. The situation is dragging on so long that no matter what they get back is sure to underwhelm in some capacity, but there may be a way the Suns can change all of that.
There is a way the Suns can land exciting prospect Ace Bailey.
On the surface that seems crazy - at one point Bailey was talked about as perhaps the third pick in this upcoming class - but the situation has changed. That's because Bailey has apparently not worked out for any teams in the lead up to the draft, a strange situation that has raised concerns as to why that could be.
I happened to go on NBA Today this afternoon to talk about Ace Bailey's recent slide down our mock draft and perplexing pre-draft strategy, which just got a lot stranger tonight, canceling his workout in Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/cArVrcdYmL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 19, 2025
With Bailey seemingly opting not to work-out for both the Philadelphia 76ers (third pick), some have begun to put forth the idea that he could slide all the way to eighth, a spot currently held by the Brooklyn Nets. If that sounds ridiculous to you, consider that ESPN current has him going sixth to the Washington Wizards.
What does any of this have to do with the Suns? The Nets have the most cap space in the league heading into this offseason, and have been mentioned before as the potential third team in helping get a Durant deal over the line. The irony of course being that they not only fleeced the Suns for Durant at the time, but could yet profit again by getting more stuff in a three-team deal.
There are big question marks around Bailey, so what if they sent him to the Suns - with Durant going elsewhere - before ending up with yet more picks from that other team, plus whatever else they would have to cut loose in order to land the 36-year-old. This is obviously an out there scenario, but stranger things have happened in this league in the last six months alone.
Of more concern to the Suns would be the question marks around Bailey's attitude towards the draft in general, as well as his fantastic shot-making ability. Some have put forward the idea that his ability to score is as good as it is because Bailey struggles to get by defenders, and so his game won't translate well to the next level.
Putting two and two together and getting five, could that be a reason he has been reluctant to do any pre-draft workouts across the league? For Bailey, he could do a lot worse than team up with Devin Booker on a roster that won't be very good and have a chance to usher in a new era in The Valley. We know we're dreaming, but it makes a nice change from all the Durant chatter.