Suns are going to stress fans out with Trae Young interest
Their two first-round picks are not in the range to get him, but the Phoenix Suns are still set to stress their fans out with apparent interest in Trae Young.
During pre-draft time in the NBA and NFL, particularly given how closely the draft is followed, rumors of team interest in players can be misleading. For example, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the Phoenix Suns — owners of the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft — are interested in setting up a workout with Trae Young.
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
It seems to be a foregone conclusion the Suns will take Arizona center Deandre Ayton first overall, and Young does not belong in that conversation. But they have the 16th overall pick too, and could package that pick with a player to get a second top-10 pick. Most mock drafts have Young in that top-10 range, with NBA Draft.net’s most recent edition putting him No. 3 overall to the Atlanta Hawks.
Finding a team sitting in the top-10 but willing to trade back out of the lottery will prove difficult for the Suns. The Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 8 could be an option if LeBron James decides to stay and they remain in win-now mode. But James probably won’t be making a decision about his opt-out until after the draft, so getting any real trade talks off the ground is unlikely.
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There is another scenario where the Suns could trade down from No. 1 if Young is their guy. But general manager Ryan McDonough has said he doesn’t expect to trade the pick. There is a “never say never” element to anything like this, but there’s no way Young is going No. 1 overall.
Young may not fit that well on Phoenix’s roster anyways. But if Elfrid Payton is allowed to leave as an unrestricted free agent, that would leave Tyler Ulis as the starting point guard heading into the offseason. The Suns could be in the market for Young then, but only in a hypothetical trade up or down from one of their two first-rounders.
It’s easy to overreact to the headlines that pave a potential path to Phoenix for Young, without reading the stories or digging a little deeper. But fear not, Suns fans, there may not be a worse fit for your team in this draft than the Oklahoma guard. But it can’t hurt to cross your fingers McDonough and the front office see it too.