The Phoenix Suns did what everyone expected at the top of the 2018 NBA Draft, selecting Deandre Ayton out of Arizona with the first overall pick.
Phoenix, however, had long been reported as a team interested in trading back into the lottery, looking to use their 16th pick and other assets as chips to land another potential young star. As their selection at No. 16 approached, they finally got a deal done to send that pick, which was Zhaire Smith, to Philadelphia along with a 2021 unprotected first round pick from the Miami Heat for Mikal Bridges, who the Sixers took at No. 10.
Sources: Suns have traded Zhaire Smith and 2021 Miami first-rounder to 76ers for Mikal Bridges.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018
Bridges seemed like a perfect fit in Philadelphia for so many reasons. He fit a need on the wing, he went to Villanova, and his mom works for the Sixers. However, when the Suns came calling with Smith still available at 16 and, most importantly, dangling that 2021 Heat pick, they couldn’t turn it down.
While the focus for many is on the players being dealt right now, the 2021 unprotected pick could very well end up being the best asset moved in the trade. That 2021 draft will be the first for the Heat after all of their current big contracts expire in the summer of 2020, which means it could be the start of a rebuild in Miami, making it very valuable.
