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Suns may consider trading out of NBA draft
By Mike Tulumello,
Tribune
The Suns are thinking about trading out of this month's NBA draft.
Under one scenario, the Suns — who have one pick in the June 24 draft, the seventh pick of the first round — could swap this year's choice for an unconditional pick next year, club president Bryan Colangelo said Wednesday.
"I'm not promising anything, but it is an alternative," Colangelo said.
Some other teams "are interested in number seven," he said. "It's not a sure thing. But we will look at it. There's a chance that's the direction we're headed."
Such a trade would give the Suns an extra $2.3 million salary cap space that would otherwise be spent on adding a young player to an already youth-heavy team, Colangelo indicated.
Currently, the Suns are about $8 million under the salary cap, so such a trade would give them more than $10 million to attract free agents, should they decide to do so.
Conceivably, such a trade could leave the Suns with three No. 1 picks next year: their regular pick, the unconditional pick they would get in a trade and the long-standing No. 1 owed them by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Suns get the Cavs' No. 1 pick whenever the Cavs make the playoffs.
At the same time, the Suns could hold onto that No. 7 pick this year, as Colangelo expects at least "a couple of players we really like" to be available. There is one other draft this month: the NBA expansion draft set for June 22, when the new Charlotte Bobcats will pick their first players.
The Suns will protect eight players — they've already submitted their list to the league — and leave two available for the Bobcats.
Citing "very strict rules that prohibit divulging the names", Colangelo won't talk about who the Suns will protect and who they will expose in the draft.
Even so, the Suns almost certainly won't protect two reserves with big contracts: guard Howard Eisley and center Jahidi White.
It seems clear the Bobcats wouldn't touch Eisley, who has two years and more than $13 million left on his contract.
But it's believed the Suns are trying to work out a deal before the expansion draft in which the Suns trade White, who has a contract with one year remaining at $5.9 million, to the Bobcats. Making such a trade would leave the Suns with about $14 million in salary cap space with which to attract free agents, $16 million if they also trade their No. 1 draft pick.
As an inducement to get the Bobcats to take White, the Suns could offer up to $3 million in cash plus a draft pick or two. The Bobcats likely are listening to plenty of other offers from a host of teams.
By Mike Tulumello,
Tribune
The Suns are thinking about trading out of this month's NBA draft.
Under one scenario, the Suns — who have one pick in the June 24 draft, the seventh pick of the first round — could swap this year's choice for an unconditional pick next year, club president Bryan Colangelo said Wednesday.
"I'm not promising anything, but it is an alternative," Colangelo said.
Some other teams "are interested in number seven," he said. "It's not a sure thing. But we will look at it. There's a chance that's the direction we're headed."
Such a trade would give the Suns an extra $2.3 million salary cap space that would otherwise be spent on adding a young player to an already youth-heavy team, Colangelo indicated.
Currently, the Suns are about $8 million under the salary cap, so such a trade would give them more than $10 million to attract free agents, should they decide to do so.
Conceivably, such a trade could leave the Suns with three No. 1 picks next year: their regular pick, the unconditional pick they would get in a trade and the long-standing No. 1 owed them by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Suns get the Cavs' No. 1 pick whenever the Cavs make the playoffs.
At the same time, the Suns could hold onto that No. 7 pick this year, as Colangelo expects at least "a couple of players we really like" to be available. There is one other draft this month: the NBA expansion draft set for June 22, when the new Charlotte Bobcats will pick their first players.
The Suns will protect eight players — they've already submitted their list to the league — and leave two available for the Bobcats.
Citing "very strict rules that prohibit divulging the names", Colangelo won't talk about who the Suns will protect and who they will expose in the draft.
Even so, the Suns almost certainly won't protect two reserves with big contracts: guard Howard Eisley and center Jahidi White.
It seems clear the Bobcats wouldn't touch Eisley, who has two years and more than $13 million left on his contract.
But it's believed the Suns are trying to work out a deal before the expansion draft in which the Suns trade White, who has a contract with one year remaining at $5.9 million, to the Bobcats. Making such a trade would leave the Suns with about $14 million in salary cap space with which to attract free agents, $16 million if they also trade their No. 1 draft pick.
As an inducement to get the Bobcats to take White, the Suns could offer up to $3 million in cash plus a draft pick or two. The Bobcats likely are listening to plenty of other offers from a host of teams.
