Phoenix Suns: Options With The No. 27 Pick
The Phoenix Suns have three first round draft picks, one second round draft pick and only a finite number of roster spots heading into the 2014-15 season, there’s a chance that general manager Ryan McDonough may have a different set of draft picks in front of him come Jun. 26.
Rumors have been circulating for awhile now that the Suns are interested in packaging picks to either move up in the draft or make a Godfather-esque offer for Kevin Love. Furthermore, it was reported the Suns are shopping their No. 27 pick for a future first-rounder.
In the event that the perfect trade never materializes though (in McDonough we trust), we should take a look at what the Suns could do with their No. 27 pick if they’ve still got it on draft day. NBA Draft history says Phoenix shouldn’t be expecting too much at this point, but there’s still reason to be optimistic given teams’ superior scouting practices, the depth/youth of this talented draft class and the fact that Ryan McDonough may in fact have the gift of foresight.
#Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, GM Ryan McDonough share a vision reports @PaolaBoivin http://t.co/tL3KCVxFqf
— azcentral sports (@azcsports) June 10, 2014
If you look at the history of 27th overall selections in the draft, the vast majority turned out to be busts who burned out of the league in a couple of years. But there are a few rare exceptions that did pretty well for themselves as the No. 27 pick in their respective drafts. Current role players like Jordan Crawford, DeMarre Carroll, Darrell Arthur and Kendrick Perkins were all taken 27th overall. Although that doesn’t give Suns fans an overwhelming sense of hope, guys like Arron Afflalo and Dennis Rodman provide an idea of what a best-case scenario would look like.
We’ve already covered who the Suns should realistically target with their 14th pick and who could still be available at No. 18, but today we’ll examine five prospects Phoenix should consider with their final first round pick. Obviously, if anyone from our first two segments is still available by the time No. 27 rolls around, the Suns should jump. But assuming they’ve all gone the way of Mario Chalmers in the 2014 NBA Finals and disappeared, here’s who the Suns should target instead.