2018 NBA Draft: Are the Phoenix Suns trying to bring in Trae Young?
By Max Holm
Despite already having the No. 1 overall pick, the Phoenix Suns reportedly are trying to bring in Trae Young before the draft.
The Phoenix Suns are picking first in this month’s draft with their eyes on Deandre Ayton. Still, general manager Ryan McDonough isn’t sitting idle. He’s brought in just about every top guy from Duke’s Marvin Bagley III to Texas’ Mohamed Bamba. Phoenix is in a bit of a tough spot, though with the top pick, don’t be too sad for them.
Ayton is a wonderful player with a chance to be his class’ best player, but there’s no top consensus. Luka Doncic’s long European season is making it hard to see him up close and personal close to the draft. That element, tied to his skill and accomplishments, make picking first not as easy as years past. Phoenix is doing its due diligence and apparently wants to bring in Trae Young next.
The Oklahoma guard has media and teams about as divided as possible when it comes to how they rate him. Young lit up college basketball with a Stephen Curry-like season, before coming back down to Earth in conference play. His tape is incredibly mixed and he comes with one of the widest ranges of possible career outcomes.
Even if the Suns were admirers, would they really be considering him with the top pick? Well, McDonough has already been on the record saying they’d consider trading down. That’s not to say they will, but any smart team should be open to all options. However, that also speaks to the depth of the class and the lack of a true No. 1 pick. So perhaps Young is someone they want to better assess to see is he’s worth trading down for.
Sources confirm: Phoenix Suns have been trying to bring in Trae Young for dinner/workout, but scheduling has made it difficult. Meeting to likely take place at some point before draft. Evidence Phoenix will be looking to add a 2nd top-10 pick.
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) June 9, 2018
As you can see from Jonathan Wasserman’s tweet, the Suns might actually look to stay at No. 1 and get a second top 10 pick. That may sound ridiculous, but think about the Suns’ assets for a second. They have the 16th and 31st picks, as well as young players like Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. A combination of three of those could be enough.
Should they be able to acquire such a pick, Young would be an interesting target. Assuming they take Ayton, adding Young to him, Josh Jackson and Devin Booker would be electric. I’m also not sure they’d stop anyone from scoring. Booker and Young seem like they could give us the next Splash brothers, but like the backcourt in Portland, they really need to think critically if that’s a duo you can with.
Either way, this class’ top 10 has amazing potential. You can understand why the Suns would want to move back or even add a second top-10 pick. If Trae can get anywhere near his ceiling, he’s worth taking a hard look at if you’re the Suns.
Next: 5 biggest takeaways from the 2018 NBA Finals
Phoenix will hands down be one of the most interesting teams to follow through the end of draft night. It could be a night that pushes them into the most promising period in franchise history post-Steve Nash.