Phoenix Suns: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
1. Phoenix tanks for another top-five pick
If Eric Bledsoe/Tyson Chandler are traded, if Josh Jackson and Dragan Bender are getting starter’s minutes and if Devin Booker is hoisting shots until his heart is content, there’s a very good chance the Suns will be near the bottom of the league standings.
Even if Bledsoe isn’t moved, this young team is coming off a 23-win season and probably won’t be much better in 2017-18. Why? Because they’re still so far away from being a playoff squad they have little incentive to start making winning moves over letting the young guys take their lumps.
In the 2018 NBA Draft, which features a loaded top-five that could include as many franchise players, the Suns have their own valuable first round pick, plus a top-seven protected pick coming from the Miami Heat.
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That Heat pick probably won’t be valuable since they’re almost certain to make the playoffs in the East, but another season in the 20-30 win range is almost guaranteed for the Suns, which would place them right on the cusp of one of those top five picks.
The Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings could all be in that same conversation. But as we saw last season, when Bledsoe was a healthy scratch for the final 15 games of the season and Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight didn’t play after the All-Star break, this front office isn’t shy about tanking when the situation calls for it.
Even without a Bledsoe/Chandler trade, you can expect something similar in 2017-18, especially if the season gets off to another rough start and the losses start piling up early. Barring a drastic leap from Booker, a surprising readiness from Jackson and all the other young pieces coming together with the established veterans, that seems like Phoenix’s unavoidable fate.
While the fans might bemoan an eighth straight year without the playoffs, securing a top-three pick in this year’s draft would be for the best, allowing them to add another blue chip prospect like Luke Doncic or maybe even Tempe native Marvin Bagley III.
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McDonough knows expectations for this young team are going to be low, and he and owner Robert Sarver are on the same page about being patient. You can expect a struggling young team to tank once again down the stretch, hopefully with a top-three pick waiting at the end this time.