GAMBO

Suns need to trade the No. 13 pick for Jonny Flynn

Jun 3, 2011, 1:52 PM | Updated: 3:08 pm

For years the Phoenix Suns have traded away draft picks in an effort to save money. The organization could have had Rajon Rondo, Rudy Fernandez, Luol Deng or Andre Iguodola, to name a few.

With a head coach in Mike D’Antoni who didn’t like rookies and the ability to use draft picks to entice another team to take on some of Phoenix’s excess salary (see Kurt Thomas), the Suns discarded draft picks like they were going out of style.

Did they miss out on some good players?

Certainly.

But truth be told, in most cases the NBA draft is overrated. Unless you have a top 5 pick your chances on landing an impact player are slim to none. The best you can hope for is a role player. Look at some of the Suns first-round draft picks in recent years; Earl Clark is gone, Alando Tucker is gone and Robin Lopez is barely hanging on.

In most cases when you are not drafting in the top 10, like Phoenix this year, it’s a crapshoot. You take your chances and hope for the best. But this is not the year to hope for the best. This NBA draft is considered one of the worst in recent memory, which is exactly why the Suns need to trade the pick.

With the Timberwolves signing of Ricky Rubio this week they now have the perfect trade partner. The Suns need to send the 13th overall pick in a bad draft to Minnesota for point guard Jonny Flynn. Minnesota is now overloaded at the position with Flynn, Rubio and Luke Ridnour. They have to trade Flynn and everyone knows it.

Phoenix needs a good back up to Steve Nash and an heir apparent. Flynn will be that guy. Goran Dragic is gone, Aaron Brooks is not the answer and Jimmer Fredette is a pipedream. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in a good draft just two years ago. Why wouldn’t you trade the 13th pick in a bad draft for a guy who was the sixth pick in a good one?

Plus, Flynn can play. He is young, super athletic and started every game his rookie season when he averaged 13.5 points and 4.4 assists. He had a hip injury last year, which the Suns would need to make sure is completely healed.

He struggled in Kurt Rambis’ triangle offense, but he is a starter in this league, not a backup. He is way better than anything the Suns could get at 13 and I mean way better.

Flynn could apprentice under Nash for one year and then take over as the starter in 2012-13. Other teams will try to get Flynn now that they know Minnesota has to move him. The Suns have a nice chip with that 13th pick and it should be enough to land him.

In past years the Suns have traded their first-round pick when they likely should have kept it so they may be very reluctant to do it again. But if they are wise and can put two and two together they will realize that Flynn is head and shoulders better then anyone in this entire draft outside of maybe Kyrie Irving. Put it this way, if Flynn was in this draft right now, he would be no worse than the third overall pick in the draft.

Make the move Phoenix.

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