ESPN’s Pelton: Suns ‘don’t need’ Fultz, Ball as much as other teams
May 16, 2017, 11:23 AM
(AP photos)
(AP photos)
There’s a lot at stake Tuesday night for several NBA teams. The 2017 NBA Draft Lottery will be taking place, determining the draft order of the 2017 NBA Draft.
With potential franchise-changing prospects such as point guards Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball up for grabs, the future outlook will shine brighter for teams that end the night with a pick at the top.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Chad Ford went back and forth on which franchises had the most on the line Tuesday night and neither had the Suns particularly high.
After discussing the Lakers, Sixers, Magic, Kings, Celtics and Pelicans, Pelton made the case as to why the Suns came so late in the discussion.
Nobody acted like lottery positioning was more important than the Phoenix Suns, who shut down veterans Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight after the All-Star break and won just two of their last 16 games. The strategy worked, as Phoenix has the second-best odds entering the lottery.
Because of their backcourt depth with Bledsoe and Devin Booker, the Suns don’t need the services of Ball and Fultz as much as other teams. (In some ways, Josh Jackson is a better fit alongside their current players.) But Phoenix needs talent, period, and the Suns should be able to get healthy return in a Bledsoe trade if they add a guard.
Ford agreed, saying he would add the Knicks to all the teams ahead of Phoenix.
The Suns will be really intriguing if they add Ball or Jackson to a team that already has players such as Booker, Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender. But I agree they can afford to slide a spot or two in the draft and still get a player who can really help them.
In Ford’s latest big board, he ranks Fultz, Ball and Jackson as his top-three prospects.
