Suns: Only Way to Truly Win is to Lose

The Phoenix Suns have had a horrible season, but things are looking better as they will notch a top draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Rejoice Phoenix Suns fans, the pain of enduring loss-after-loss is coming to a merciful end. Yet even in the wake of last night’s drubbing by the Atlanta Hawks, the Suns find themselves in the precarious situation where they must lose out their final four games of the season in order to ensure there won’t be a repeat of this epic collapse in the 2016-17 season.

Remarkably there is one thing that the Suns have managed to successfully sweep under the rug. They traded away their rights to a potential lottery pick in the upcoming draft in the form of the Lakers’ top-three protected pick they acquired via the Steve Nash trade.

Back in 2012 the Phoenix Suns traded away the aging Steve Nash in a highly debated move that brought back a treasure trove of picks in the form of two second round picks and two first round picks; one of which could be cashed in this year.

Since then the Suns traded their right to that potential pick to the Philadelphia 76ers before the NBA trade deadline in exchange for Brandon Knight.

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Couple that with the recent news that Knight’s season would be shelved for the rest of the year, there is even more impetus for the Suns to lose in order to extract the most value from that trade resulting in Knight’s arrival to Phoenix.

While Knight has shown plenty of promise amidst a season plagued by injury, the trade will be wholly judged on the possibility of the Lakers losing their pick. If indeed the Lakers become the 2015 Knicks and fall out of the top three selectors in the draft while losing their possible 4th pick in the draft, then the Suns get the short end of that deal. A pick that this offseason would have netted Kristaps Porzingis.

However, if the Lakers continue their losing ways and manage to keep their pick, then that pick rolls over to next year’s draft. A draft which is not considered as deep as this year’s.

A result that ensures the Suns win the trade by acquiring a worthwhile talent this year, rather than take the gamble next year and prolonging the much-needed rebuilding process.

Next: Diamondbacks lose 2 of 3 to the Rockies

As the season continues its downward spiral towards the lackluster finale against the Clippers, the fans can only cheer and applaud…. for the other team to win, and maybe even more painfully, hope and pray the Lakers win the rest of their slate of games. Summer is coming for the Suns, but the fans are already feeling the heat.

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