Suns GM McDonough: Unlikely we keep all draft picks over next couple years
May 30, 2014, 8:44 PM | Updated: 8:46 pm
Last year, the Suns used first-round picks on Alex Len and Archie Goodwin.
Through various trades, the Suns are slated to have up to six more over the next two seasons.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the team might not keep them all.
“It’s unlikely we’ll draft eight (first-round) guys over a three-year stretch,” McDonough said. “It’s really hard to win that way and also the roster spots are limited. You only get 15, so you can’t I don’t think (have) more than half your team be either first, second, or third year players and also try to be competitive and make the playoffs and advance in the Western Conference.”
The Suns pick at 14, 18 and 27 in 2014, but McDonough isn’t sure how far up in the draft they can move by dealing all of them.
“I don’t know that we could get into the top three to five if we wanted to trade all of them,” McDonough said. “It’s different in basketball. It’s not a volume draft like football is.”
Another option for the Suns could be to send a combination of players and picks to enter the Kevin Love sweepstakes. While he can’t comment on any player in particular, McDonough said he would explore all options.
“If there’s a star available, that’s certainly something we’ll look at,” McDonough said.
While no one knows exactly what McDonough and the Suns are going to do with these picks, one thing is certain: the Suns’ assets in the draft gives them freedom moving forward.
“The picks are very valuable currency,” McDonough said. “If you could have multiple first round picks every year, then that really puts you in a position of strength dealing with other teams and gives you a lot of flexibility going forward.”
