NBA Rumors: Suns' Interest in Arnett Moultrie Is Nothing More Than a Smokescreen
The Phoenix Suns may be hinting at drafting Mississippi State big man Arnett Moultrie, but it's all a smokescreen.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reported on Monday that the Suns brought Moultrie in for a second workout over the weekend and visited his family in Memphis.
Despite having four big men under contract (Marcin Gortat, Channing Frye, Hakim Warrick and Markieff Morris), general manager Lance Blanks said that wouldn't prevent him from grabbing another post player in the draft, per the Republic.
That being said, there's no reason for Blanks to tip his hand this close to the draft. The Suns' primary need right now is at shooting guard. It would be a shock if they didn't select someone like Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb, Duke's Austin Rivers or Washington's Terrence Ross.
Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with Arnett Moultrie as a player. He's an intriguing prospect. This is simply to do with the fact that the Suns would be blindly ignoring a primary need at No. 13 overall if they passed on a shooting guard. It's not like Lamb, Rivers or Ross are reaches, either. All of them have made cases to be lottery picks.
If the Suns do draft Moultrie at No. 13, Blanks better have something up his sleeve, because that's passing on some potential spark plugs at shooting guard.
Having said that, I don't think that's going to be the case. I think Blanks and the Suns organization is doing what plenty of teams do this time of year—they're trying to fool everyone.
What advantage does that give them? Well, it could see teams ahead of the Suns in the draft with needs at shooting guard get antsy and select Moultrie instead based on overall potential, allowing some shooting guards to fall in Phoenix's lap.
On the other hand, it could see teams trade up with the Suns at No. 13, granting them extra draft picks or a veteran in the process. You'd be surprised what teams will do to try to force the competition's hand in the draft.
It doesn't make sense that the Suns would draft Moultrie at No. 13 overall. That's what it ultimately comes down to.
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