The Phoenix Suns are willing to follow in the footsteps of the Philadelphia 76ers and take a shot at moving up in Thursday's NBA Draft, engaging in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford.
If the Suns could net the Lakers' No. 2 overall pick, the team will likely target UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, and if they show up to a poker game affair with president Danny Ainge and the Celtics, they'd make a run for Kansas forward Josh Jackson.
Phoenix has multiple first-round picks from the Miami Heat to bring to the table and gamble at will, but if they walk away without a deal from either of these two teams, the Suns are likely to choose between Duke forward Jayson Tatum, Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox and Florida State big man Jonathan Isaac, per Ford's report.
The Suns are looking for promising pieces to surround shooting guard Devin Booker with, making the No. 2 and 3 picks very enticing for the team.
Ball could be the playmaker to find Booker open, as the scoring phenom was dead-last among starting shooting guards in percentage of catch-and-shoot field goal attempts (26 percent), forced to make most of his offense off the dribble.
Jackson presents a diverse makeup, an able to play at both ends of the floor and athleticism to go with long wingspan on defense. He shot 37.8 percent from deep last season, but only 56.6 percent from the stripe — an issue he'll look to correct during his rookie year.
The clock is ticking if the Suns hope to make a move, but they'll have to pay dearly for it as both the Lakers and the Celtics seem content with their spots in this year's NBA Draft.
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