After putting the finishing touches on a 19-63 season, securing the worst record in the NBA and another high pick in the draft lottery, the Phoenix Suns did a bit of front office stabilizing. They hired James Jones, who had been acting as interim general manager after the team fired Ryan McDonough just before the 2018-2019 season kicked off, as full time GM to settle a front office situation that had been in flux for much of the year. This is despite reports that Jones hasn’t exactly been the most engaged general manager, especially when it comes to scouting prospects in what’s going to be a pivotal draft for the Suns.
A recent report from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that the Suns are suddenly headed in the right direction. From the piece:
Sources around the NBA are buzzing that Morant is actually the player the Suns prefer to end up with. Particularly, Jones is thought to be a fan of the dynamic lead guard. It’s not a surprise, given their need at the point guard position. But color me skeptical that the team would actually take him at No. 1.
This could all just be smoke, of course, and if the Suns don’t snag the No. 1 overall pick, Morant is a fine selection at Nos. 2 or 3. Still, with the Suns recent draft history and reptutation for being a poorly run organization, the thought that they’d take Morant over Zion Williamson if both were sitting there at no. 1 isn’t totally unthinkable. Would Jones actually do it? Who knows, but the past proves anything is possible in the valley of the sun.
