Suns GM: Trading their first-round pick is ‘something we’re more open to than in the past’

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/27/suns-gm-trading-their-first-round-pick-is-something-were-more-open-to-than-in-the-past/



Suns GM: Trading their first-round pick is ‘something we’re more open to than in the past’
Brett Pollakoff May 27, 2015, 1:50 PM EDT




The Suns finished up a disappointing year four games under ,500 in the standings, and out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Phoenix partly has itself to blame, after making a series of midseason trades which essentially blew up the roster. Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas were sent packing, while Brandon Knight, Marcus Thornton and Danny Granger were added — though it remains unclear if any of them will still be with the team next season.

The draft will be important for the Suns, but perhaps only in terms of what may be available to them in trade when that time comes. The roster is a mess right now, and adding more young players wouldn’t appear to be the answer on the surface — which is why the team may be more open to trading its lottery pick than in years past.

From Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:

“As a non-playoff team, I think you need help everywhere,” [Suns GM Ryan] McDonough said. “So we’ll take the best player, even if that goes against what some people think we should do in terms of conventional wisdom. I think, unless you’re a championship-level team, you always take the best available player. Our philosophy is if he’s better than the guys who are on your current roster, maybe he beats him out and you move one of the guys on your current roster. I think some mistakes, in the history of the draft, are made drafting for saying, ‘Oh, we need this. Let’s do the best player who does whatever.’ When you draft that guy, you tend to reach sometimes.” …

“At some point, there is a saturation point for young players as you try to put together a team that is capable of competing and making the playoffs in the Western Conference,” McDonough said after making five first-round picks in two years. “I think it (trading the pick) is something we’re more open to than in the past but, at the same time, we like the players that we think will be there at 13.”

In addition to figuring out what to do with their draft pick, the Suns have to decide whether their unrestricted free agents — Thornton, Gerald Green, and Brandan Wright — are worth pursuing, and whether or not their key restricted one (Knight) is going to be worth what it may cost to retain him.

After a couple of seasons where the rebuild in Phoenix seemed to be trending in the right direction, things are at now a critical juncture. The playoff drought has gone on too long in the desert, so rebuilding from scratch would appear to be an unappealing option. But unless a trade or two can be made to immediately add some impact players to the mix, the Suns seem primed to once again finish in no-man’s land — too good to land a high lottery pick, though not talented enough to crack the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference.



bob
MY NOTE: Phoenix picks #13. I don't know what they'd want but if we can move up to #13 that puts us within striking distance of WCS, although that might take another trade. They're looking for a veteran rather than adding youth. Well, we have numerous veterans that are coming off contract we could offer in a sign-and-trade. Not sure how the $ would work. Just a thought. Remember, Suns GM Ryan McDonough used to work for Danny, they have a good relationship and did the Isaiah Thomas trade last year.


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Danny might be fortunate enough to make one trade to move up.  But I doubt he'd be fortunate enough to make two separate but sequential trades for that purpose.

Sam

I would think that if Ainge wanted to move up twice using Bob's thoughts of possibly getting #13 and then maybe trying to use it to move up even higher he would have to make the deal for #13 way sooner than he may desire on draft night.

Moving #13 for say #6 (if available) would have to be made before it is time to pick #6. This would probably mean that he would have to over pay by a great deal to get #13 and then have to add additional other parts to the deal with #13 to get #6. In the end it could be #16 and some parts to get #13 and then #13 and some more parts to get number 6.

If all the parts that had to be added to #16 to get #13 and then all the parts that had to be added to #13 to get to number 6 were all mostly from his pile of second round draft picks and maybe James Young I would be OK trading #16 and say 4 seconds for #6. But, if it takes 3 numbers 1s and a young player (Olynyk, Bradley, etc) I would hesitate on the entire thought process.

wide clyde wrote:I would think that if Ainge wanted to move up twice using Bob's thoughts of possibly getting #13 and then maybe trying to use it to move up even higher he would have to make the deal for #13 way sooner than he may desire on draft night.

Moving #13 for say #6 (if available) would have to be made before it is time to pick #6.  This would probably mean that he would have to over pay by a great deal to get #13 and then have to add additional other parts to the deal with #13  to get #6.  In the end it could be #16 and some parts to get #13 and then #13 and some more parts to get number 6.

If all the parts that had to be added to #16 to get #13 and then all the parts that had to be added to #13 to get to number 6 were all mostly from his pile of second round draft picks and maybe James Young I would be OK trading #16 and say 4 seconds for #6.  But, if it takes 3 numbers 1s and a young player (Olynyk, Bradley, etc) I would hesitate on the entire thought process.

clyde,

I don't know why it would have to be done sooner (although it might happen that way).

For example, assuming the draft goes the way draftexpress says it will:

Sacto picks WCS with #6. They already have Cousins. Drafting the best player available as opposed to drafting for need. Happens all the time. Suppose Danny offered Phoenix #16 + Evan Turner (or whomever) + a 2nd rounder for #13. Now that Danny owns #13, instead of drafting Devin Booker, like draftexpress says, he drafts whomever Sacto wants, throws in a future 1st rounder ++ whatever? That could all be done after WCS was drafted by Sacto. Or it could be done a few weeks later, after Sacto signs WCS (so his salary is now on the books and part of the cap) so that they can use his #6 draft pick salary to get a better veteran player (plus the picks and the #13) from Danny. Once they sign him they can't trade him for 2 months but so what? It's only late June, early July. Remember what happened with LeBron? Cleveland drafted Wiggins but couldn't sign LeBron until after Danny helped them clear cap space and then, after they got Lebron, went after Love and baited the hook with Wiggins. All that happened LONG after draft night.


bob


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I agree with Clyde.  The reason it would have to be done sooner is that such trades often take a long time, and much introspection on the part of the traders, to come to fruition.  It's a VERY trick position to have a "wink wink" agreement in place for the second trade before making the initial trade.

Sam