PHOENIX — The NBA Draft is now under one week away, and speculation continues to grow for what the Phoenix Suns are going to do.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix has the No. 22 overall pick and gains the ability to trade it, as well as its 2031 first-round draft pick on the day of the first round (June 26). These will become the Suns’ only two first-round picks immediately available for trade over the next seven years.
For clarification, Phoenix will also still have a first-round pick in 2026, 2028 and 2030 as well due to all of these being pick swaps, but could be in a bad position with those if they finish in the lottery and have to give up a good pick. The only second-round pick they own right now is a 2028 pick from the Boston Celtics (protected 31-45).
Owner Mat Ishbia and the team gave up the rest of their draft capital in various trades. These most notably include sending out four first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029) in the Kevin Durant trade and four future first-round pick swaps (2024, 2026, 2026 and 2030), as well as six future second-round picks for Bradley Beal.
Ishbia sounded very uncommitted to both this year’s pick and the 2031 pick at his end-of-season availability last month.
“If fans like to look in the future and say, ‘Hey, I really like that 2031 draft pick, because maybe that seventh-grader is gonna be really good and we’re gonna draft them and one day he’s gonna be a player,’ you ain’t going to like the Phoenix Suns,” Ishbia said. “Because we’re gonna say, ‘Draft picks are to get great players.’”
However, Phoenix has some clear needs it can capitalize on in the draft that it might not be able to via trade. According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, the Suns will be looking to fill three roster holes this offseason: a point guard who can play more than 20 minutes per game, a backup big upgrade and a young, athletic wing.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports an interesting scenario the Suns could use combining both drafting and trading:
“Further along the first round, NBA personnel also consider Phoenix a strong candidate to trade down from the No. 22 pick. The Suns are famously low on additional draft capital and future assets after splurging to acquire Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. If Phoenix can find avenues to move down in the first round, while picking up additional second-round picks, the Suns could wisely find more future ammo to make trades down the line, while also adding several rookie salaries onto a very expensive roster, which would prove quite prudent considering Phoenix’s lofty payroll and incoming luxury tax bill.”
Some intriguing teams for the Suns to trade down with include the:
- Denver Nuggets: picks No. 28 and No. 56
- Minnesota Timberwolves: picks No. 27 and No. 37
- Utah Jazz: picks No. 29 and No. 32
- San Antonio Spurs: picks No. 35 and No. 48
- Indiana Pacers: picks No. 36 and No. 50
- Washington Wizards: picks No. 26 and No. 51
- Boston Celtics: picks No. 30 and No. 54
- Memphis Grizzlies: picks No. 39 and No. 47
There are several names Phoenix could target with this pick or just a few picks back. For point guards, this includes Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Carlton Carrington (Pitt) and Isaiah Collier (USC). There are a lot of big men with various ranges that could fit what the Suns need, as backup center Drew Eubanks is reportedly declining his player option, including Kel’el Ware (Indiana), DaRon Holmes II (Dayton) and Yves Missi (Baylor). The wing market is not as strong in the Suns’ draft range, but potential names are Jaylon Tyson (California), Ryan Dunn (Virginia) and Johnny Furphy (Kansas).
Most reported or confirmed workouts with the Suns have been with players they will likely not reach for with the 22nd pick. As mostly compiled by HoopsHype, this is the most updated list of players who have been confirmed or reported to work out for Phoenix, as well as their ranking on ESPN’s most recent big board updated today (out of 100 players):
- Tyler Kolek, PG, Marquette – No. 25
- Ryan Dunn, PF, Virginia – No. 28
- Jaylon Tyson, SF, Cal – No. 31
- Tyler Smith, PF, G-League Ignite – No. 34
- Ajay Mitchell, PG, UC Santa Barbara – No. 41
- Keshad Johnson, PF, Arizona – No. 49
- Bronny James, SG, USC – No. 55
- Trentyn Flowers, SF, Adelaide 36ers – No. 56
- Anton Watson, PF, Gonzaga – No. 75
- Jaylin Williams, PF, Auburn – No. 84
- Jaedon LeDee, PF, San Diego State – No. 88
- Tristan Enaruna, SF, Cleveland State – No. 98
- RaeQuan Battle, SG, West Virginia – No. 99
- Fardaws Aimaq, PF, Cal – N/A
- Mark Armstrong, PG, Villanova – N/A
- Malik Hall, PF, Michigan State – N/A
- Tyrese Samuel, PF, Florida – N/A
- Moses Wood, SF, Washington – N/A
The Suns will also be looking to sign undrafted free agents for their summer league team and new G League team coming this fall, hence most of the reported workouts.
Buckle up for an exciting next week of the NBA offseason with the draft on June 26 and 27 and free agency beginning on June 30.
Report: Suns expected to be ‘very aggressive’ on trade market between now and draft night
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
