(Originally the Hornets pick. Traded to the Suns for the 10th overall pick and a future lottery-protected first rounder)
The Suns are undoubtedly looking for a young point guard of the future, and luckily for them, this is a guard heavy draft. But if they get a pick that is outside of the top seven or eight, they might find themselves having to trade up to get a guy that they covet.
In this scenario, the Suns got the 10th pick in the Draft Lottery and flipped it to the Hornets for the 8th pick and a future protected first rounder. Phoenix would consider that a small price to pay if a guy like Cole Anthony were to fall to the middle of the lottery; the pricetag would be much higher if they were forced to move up 4, 5, or 6 spots to get the guy they want.
While Anthony, as we mentioned previously, was once a projected top-5 pick, he might not even be one of the top three point guard prospects at this point. There is still plenty of work to be done in the scouting process and the big board is subject to vast changes between now and June 25th. Add in the fact that North Carolina won’t be a part of March Madness this year, and Anthony’s stock could drop even farther.
Heck, the Suns might not even need to trade up to get him if they truly want him. Check back with our Mock Draft 2.0 after the conclusion of March Madness to see where Anthony is projected to be drafted.