The Phoenix Suns have spent years living in the shadow of their own draft situation, with Mat Ishbia’s win-now approach stripping away a big chunk of their future picks in the deals for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. That has left Phoenix near the bottom of the league in draft capital, and it has been an easy target in NBA conversations.
But the Los Angeles Clippers just managed to make that mess look a lot less painful.
After the NBA investigated allegations that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard, the punishment left Los Angeles without first-round picks. Suddenly, the Suns’ draft outlook doesn’t feel quite as dire by comparison.
“Getting another first-round pick back - multiple years ago the question was we have no first-round picks, (but) with that pick that we acquired we’re now going to have seven straight years of first-round picks. Who would have thought it?" Suns general manager Brian Gregory said this summer.
"And an additional second-round pick in that as well.
“I think the one thing you have to look at when you’re talking about at an unprotected versus a least favorable among two teams in different things like that - we’re always going to be good, so where are our draft picks going to be?”
Phoenix still does not control its first-round picks for the foreseeable future, and the Suns also have their 2032 first-round pick frozen. That is hardly a clean bill of health.
Still, it is a different kind of problem than the Clippers now face.
On the floor, the comparison also tilts toward Phoenix. The Suns are not viewed as a championship-level roster right now, but they are at least trying to build toward something more stable. Los Angeles, by contrast, is projected to be near the bottom of the league, with several over/unders pointing to 30 wins as the expectation.
The Suns are hoping to put together back-to-back playoff appearances.
In Other News...
Clippers Embarrassment Just Became A Whole Lot Worse
Pablo Torres reporting on possible salary-cap circumvention around Kawhi Leonard put the Clippers in the middle of a storm long before the NBA finished its own review. The story drew plenty of pushback along the way, with Torre taking criticism as he dug into the relationship between Leonard, the team and Steve Ballmer, but the leagues investigation gave the whole episode a very different shape once it was complete.
What was once treated by some as speculative reporting ended with the NBA backing the seriousness of the allegations and handing down major consequences to the franchise and its leadership. For the Clippers, it turned a messy off-court accusation into a formal league problem, and for Torre, it became a case where the reporting that was questioned most loudly ended up looking a lot more solid in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Fans Finally Have Clarity On The Stalled Kawhi Trade
After a brief scare that had the deal hanging in limbo, the Clippers are finally close to getting the Kawhi Leonard trade over the finish line. Los Angeles had already agreed to move Leonard to Toronto in a package built around Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation, but the process slowed when questions surfaced about additional benefits tied to the transaction.
Now there is clarity for both sides, and the expectation is that the trade will move ahead in the coming days. For the Clippers, the important part is that the original framework appears to be intact, with the team set to receive the players and draft capital it lined up when the deal was first agreed to. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Wing Suddenly Lands In The Middle Of Lakers Trade Buzz
Jonathan Kuminga choosing the Timberwolves left the Lakers back at the drawing board, and the ripple effect has now reached across town. With the starting power forward spot suddenly unsettled, Los Angeles is digging through trade possibilities, and one of the more interesting names surfacing is Derrick Jones Jr., the Clippers wing whose energy and defensive versatility would fit the kind of roster hole the Lakers are trying to patch.
The proposal would give the Clippers a young guard in Jaden Hardy along with draft capital, while the Lakers would be betting on Jones ability to bring athleticism and switchability to a frontcourt need. For now, it remains another sign of how quickly the market can shift when one target comes off the board, and why a player like Jones can become the center of unexpected buzz even without the loudest name attached. [Read more 🡒]