2011 NBA Draft: Could the Phoenix Suns Draft Iman Shumpert at No. 13?

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

As Iman Shumpert continues is meteoric rise on NBA Draft boards, his potential landing spot in the draft continues to climb.

In an intriguing turn of events, Yahoo! Sports reports today that the Georgia Tech shooting guard could even be taken in the lottery by the Phoenix Suns.

Perhaps no player is rising faster than Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert, who is suddenly on the Phoenix Suns’ short list at No. 13.

How could a player who was barely considered a first rounder a few weeks ago now be considered for the lottery so quickly? Shumpert had the best vertical at the Chicago scouting combine and his workouts with NBA teams have been impressive to say the least.

This pick makes more sense than surface-value would indicate. The Suns have already stated they are going to buy out Vince Carter's contract for $4 million and Shumpert would solve a desperate need for an influx of young guards. 

But this could also be a ploy to get teams later in the first round to trade up for Shumpert and overvalue the young shooting guard.

So is this genuine interest or a tactic to add more picks? The Suns are yet another NBA team with a wide variety of options and no hints or clues to narrow down.  We'll have to find out Thursday night.

Most recent updates:

• 2011 NBA Draft: Evaluating the Toronto Raptors' Options at the No.5 Pick
• 2011 NBA Draft: The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Trying to Add a 3rd First-Round Pick
• 2011 NBA Draft: Are the Chicago Bulls Shopping Their First Round Draft Picks?
• View all updates

What is the duplicate article?

Why is this article offensive?

Where is this article plagiarized from?

Why is this article poorly edited?