Report: Suns high on White, haven’t done much work on Garland

With the Anthony Davis trade hijacking this past weekend of news, the fallout from the trade was another item to monitor.

And while there is no direct link to the Phoenix Suns, there are some potential consequences from the deal that will change what happens to the Suns on draft night.

Firstly, though, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony updated his mock draft and with it came new intel.

Givony has the Suns selecting North Carolina guard Coby White, and included with his mock was the latest he was hearing about their position in the draft.

This pick continues to be available in trade talks for the right veteran guard that complements Devin Booker. The Suns likely will be disappointed to see the two best backcourt players outside the top three off the board in Garland and Culver, which might cause them to be even more aggressive in pursuing a trade.

Should they keep the pick, they seem very high on White, which makes some sense considering his size, shooting prowess and ability to play off of a playmaking combo guard such as Booker.

The report of Phoenix seeming “very high” on White matches up with what 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro has been saying on Burns & Gambo regarding the Suns’ interest.

White is linked to Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, due to the fact that they are widely considered the two best guard prospects in the draft outside of Murray State’s Ja Morant.

Givony initially reported the Suns were going to get a look at Garland before the draft, but had to later correct that report while further cementing the Suns’ liking for White.

Correcting my reporting here. Phoenix has not watched Darius Garland work out, nor have they done much work on him, a source says. They are much more into Coby White it appears. Garland is most likely to go 5th or 7th it seems, barring more trades. Article has been updated. https://t.co/0anc09FKrH

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 16, 2019

Garland’s stylistic fit next to Devin Booker poses long-term questions. Being more of a ball-dominant guard with his biggest strengths in pick-and-roll play, Garland’s point guard acumen and ability to change the game outside of his scoring are seen as his biggest weaknesses.

But questions arise because not only is Garland a similar point guard prospect to White, but he’s also ranked directly where the Suns could pick, making it curious as to why the Suns haven’t done much homework on Garland.

Because of the Davis trade, there theoretically is now a better chance the Suns could have their choice of point guard prospects.

The New Orleans Pelicans acquired the No. 4 overall pick in the deal, two spots ahead of the Suns at sixth. Reports indicate New Orleans is open to trading it, but if they are unable to, a roster now consisting of Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt doesn’t make a Garland or White selection logical. Ditto for the Cleveland Cavaliers at fifth, who just drafted scoring point guard Collin Sexton in the 2018 NBA Draft.

That could present the Suns an opportunity of proving the draft buzz at the start of the week right or wrong to pick between Garland or White, in a spot where the consensus draft boards have Garland ranked ahead of White.

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