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No luck for Suns in NBA Draft Lottery as 'rigged' allegations grow louder

Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, left, controls the ball against Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
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17th May, 2017
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The 2017 NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone, and it is safe to say the Phoenix Suns had a night to forget after slipping to number four on the draft board.

Going into the evening, the Suns had a 19.9 per cent chance of grabbing the first overall pick, and 55.8 per cent of staying within the top three.

With recent speculation suggesting the lottery is fixed, the Suns dropping out of the top three will do nothing to quash those claims.

Many believe the lottery aims to benefit the teams the NBA want to succeed, namely the Los Angeles Lakers.

It comes as no surprise then to see the Lakers selecting with the second overall pick for the third time in as many years.

Having finished the season with the NBA’s second worst record, the Suns will be disappointed to have dropped out of the top three to the benefit of the Philadelphia 76ers, who join the Lakers and Boston Celtics as the first teams to select on June 22.

With guards Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and wing Josh Jackson expected to be the first three players selected, it leaves the question as to what the Suns will do with their pick.

Before the lottery, I had the Suns picking Jackson with the second overall pick as he would have provided an athletic body to act as a support scorer alongside Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe.

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Those plans might have to be adjusted.

Realistically. Jackson will be off the board by the time the Suns pick at number four, so should they trade away their pick?

I think they should at least consider it.

One possibility which has been discussed is to package the pick along with Eric Bledsoe or TJ Warren and attempt to go after a superstar.

I for one am a big Eric Bledsoe fan, and would like to see him stay in Phoenix.

Bledsoe is coming off his best season as a pro where he posted career highs in points (21.1) and assists (6.3) per game in 66 games before being shut down in March as the Suns tanked for a higher draft pick.

Look how that turned out…

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Trading away TJ Warren as a sweetener alongside the number four pick could tempt some teams to part with a big-time player, possibly a Jimmy Butler or Jahlil Okafor.

If the Suns are to keep the pick however, they could look at drafting De’Angelo Fox or Jayson Tatum as they look to rebuild a young side to compete long into the future.

Come June 22 our questions will be answered, but as for now Phoenix Suns fans can only sit and wonder what could have been.

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