Phoenix Suns indicate they’ll keep No. 1 pick

Ryan McDonough isn’t giving away any hints about who the Phoenix Suns will draft, but he is confident the team will keep the No. 1 overall selection.

At this point in the pre-draft process, most NBA GMs are doing everything they can to throw the competition off the scent. Ryan McDonough is a little bit different. He’s transparent about his belief that it will take an overwhelming offer to get the Suns to move the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

That doesn’t mean McDonough is giving his entire draft strategy away. He still insists there are four or five players worthy of the first selection. Predictably, he declined to identify the prospects that he believes are in that top tier.

Conventional wisdom believes the Suns are focusing their energy on making a choice between Arizona center DeAndre Ayton and Real Madrid star Luka Doncic. The reality is the Suns could benefit from drafting any number of players. There’s a reason Phoenix is in the position to make the first overall selection.

Devin Booker is the only player on the roster who comfortably projects as a starter. Some might put T.J. Warren in that category, but he could easily be classified as a bench player for a playoff team. The point here is that position won’t play a significant role in who the Suns elect to draft. They have needs all over the floor.

It’s at least possible that McDonough’s statements were designed to see if any team is willing to make them a massive offer to take the No. 1 pick off their hands. That’s unlikely, but not impossible. Ayton and Doncic both have big fans among scouting circles. The fact that the Suns will demand a young star with “multiple years of team control” left on their deal does shrink the chances of a deal significantly.

Next: 5 best fits for Jaren Jackson, Jr.

The Phoenix Suns haven’t closed the door on trading the first pick, but the odds are stacked against it. Expect to see the first pick in the NBA Draft begin his career in the Valley of the Sun.