Report: Suns open to trading No. 6 pick for veteran point guard

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the Suns are gauging the idea of trading back or completely out of their first-round selection for a veteran point guard. With the idea of Darius Garland staying on the board until then fading, along with the Ja Morant dream dying out on lottery night, there are really no options for Phoenix unless they fall head over heels for Coby White.

Givony’s latest intel seems to indicate the Suns are exploring plenty of options at the moment.

Phoenix’s front office has told rival NBA teams it’s open to trading this pick if the right veteran guard is available.

The question now is who are the “right” veteran guards? If we’re basing it off Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro’s own reporting over the last few weeks, Mike Conley and Chris Paul aren’t options along with Lonzo Ball.

That leaves possibly Kyle Lowry on the table, if Kawhi Leonard leaves and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri decides to blow it all up around Pascal Siakam. Another interesting name not being talked about much, but fits the combo role Suns GM James Jones and Monty Williams want alongside Devin Booker, is Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie. At 6’6” with the ability to not only get his own buckets but also patrol the floor at a high level, Dinwiddie personifies almost every buzzword Phoenix has been talking about.

In a hypothetical trade between the Suns and Nets, here’s an ideal construct for both sides:

Suns - Spencer Dinwiddie, Rodions Kurucs, No. 17

Nets - T.J. Warren, Elie Okobo, No. 6

Not only do Dinwiddie and Warren have nearly identical salaries for 2019-20, but the Nets have long coveted Okobo dating back before last year’s draft. Phoenix’s own need for floor-spacing and high IQ players leads me to believe Brooklyn would be willing to deal promising young forward Rodions Kurucs in this package as well.

According to Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio, he told me the Nets are indeed interested in moving up from No. 17. So, when you start connecting the dots, this has the makings of a real possibility if Phoenix would be willing to drop back a few spots for a more win-now veteran.

All of the sudden, Phoenix would have their starting point guard for the next two seasons, plus a promising fit next to Ayton in the frontcourt all for moving back 11 spots. Also, this is the beginning of the range where Tennessee power forward Grant Williams could start going off the board. It’s unlikely he makes it to No. 32 overall, so moving back and still getting the player they wanted is a savvy move to make.

If the Suns were to walk out of the 2019 NBA Draft with Williams at No. 17 along with Dinwiddie and Kurucs, that puts some more pizazz on an improved 10-man rotation. This is only one scenario, but, the more you ponder it over, it’s the most realistic one available if names like Conley and Paul are indeed off the table.

Phoenix will be holding their second round of draft workouts near the end of this week. We’ll see if any options for No. 6 arrive, or if this dance of trade or not trade will continue all the way up until June 20.