Suns are open to trading first pick, but they shouldn’t
By Cody Rivera
The Phoenix Suns could turn their franchise around in this year’s draft, so they shouldn’t even consider trading away their No. 1 pick.
With the NBA Finals officially wrapped up and the Golden State Warriors celebrating their third championship in four years (an absolutely remarkable feat if you followed the miserable Warriors for the previous few decades), basketball teams and fans can now turn their attention fully to the upcoming NBA Draft.
The 2018 draft will be held on June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the coveted first pick is held by the Phoenix Suns. At least, for right now it is.
Even though it’s unlikely to happen, the Suns have at least considered trade options for the first pick. They’ve worked out the big names expected to headline this year’s draft, such as DeAndre Ayton from Arizona, Marvin Bagley III from Duke, Jaren Jackson from Michigan State and Mohamed Bamba from Texas.
If the Suns do hang on to the No. 1 pick, it’s expected that they’ll select the seven-foot, 260-pound Ayton.
Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough has said the team will listen to other offers, especially if another team offers up a mind-blowing deal, but ultimately they plan on keeping the top pick. It would be silly not even to listen to offers, but it should take something extreme to cause the Suns to part with the top pick.
The Suns have some solid pieces on their roster. Devin Booker is a sensational talent and nobody can deny that. But one thing this team has been missing for years is that franchise-altering player that every championship team has to have. That player is waiting for them at No. 1 in the form of Ayton, and there is absolutely no way they should be considering going in any other directions.
Ayton had a monster freshman year at the University of Arizona, averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds, and even shooting 34 percent from beyond the 3-point line. How often do you come across a rock solid big man who not only can score and defend, but can also shoot pretty decently from distance?
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On top of that, Ayton also played high school and college basketball in Arizona, so keeping him at home with the Suns would just make sense. McDonough can listen to other trade offers if he so desires, but it would not be a good idea to actually consider letting that No. 1 pick go.