Reports that the Phoenix Suns were seriously considering Bronny James with the No. 22 pick in this month’s NBA Draft did not make much sense.
Fresh off a first-round exit in the NBA Playoffs, Phoenix fired head coach Frank Vogel. The team then hired championship-winning coach Mike Budenholzer to replace him. This was part of a broader plan for the Suns to rise to championship contention with their core three moving forward.
After their loss to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs, Suns owner Mat Ishbia made it clear that they believe contention will be the name of the game moving forward. Phoenix is seemingly set to run it back with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Boasting a top-heavy roster, the Suns need to add complementary pieces this summer. Budenholzer went as far to indicate in his intro press conference that point guard is a need after Booker played that role a ton last season.
We’re now hearing more about the Suns’ plans heading into the 2024 NBA Draft. According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, there is a belief around the Association that Phoenix will move its first-round pick for a veteran upgrade. The insider points to Ishbia’s “aggressive” approach.
The 2024 NBA Draft is seen as pretty weak. That could complicate things when it comes to adding a veteran contributor. The Suns are also hard-capped, meaning salaries would have to match to an extent for a trade to work. With all of that said, there are a few options for Phoenix leading up to the draft starting June 26.
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Phoenix Suns trade options during 2024 NBA Draft
Here are a look at three realistic options for the Suns.
- Tre Mann, Charlotte Hornets: A former first-round pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mann broke out big time after being traded to Charlotte this past season. The 23-year-old Florida product averaged 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 45% shooting in 28 games (all starts). He has a team option worth just $4.9 million for next season, one the Hornets would be smart to pick up. Perhaps, Mann could act as both the short-term and long-term option at point guard in Phoenix.
- Bruce Brown, Toronto Raptors: Given Brown’s $23 million salary for next season, this would be hard for the Suns to pull off. They’d have to offer up Grayson Allen and Nassir Little for the salaries to work. In addition to the 22nd pick, this could be a lopsided deal in Toronto’s favor. Even then, a player of Brown’s two-way ability might prove more valuable over Allen’s three-point expertise. Brown can man the point. He can also guard three different positions on defense. That type of flexibility has been missing in the desert.
- Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz: It’s almost a foregone conclusion that front office head Danny Ainge and Co. will trade Sexton for draft assets this offseason. If so, the Phoenix Suns make a ton of sense. He’d slot in immediately at point guard after averaging 18.7 points to go with 4.9 assists a season ago. Given Sexton’s $18.1 million salary, Allen would have to be moved in this scenario. Perhaps, the Suns could acquire a couple second-round picks to make this work for both sides.
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