The Suns received their in franchise history Tuesday but there's no guarantee they will spend it on adopted ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥n Deandre Ayton.
The Bahamian big man, who played two years of prep school ball in Phoenix and spent last season with the Wildcats, is often regarded as the best prospect in the 2018 Draft — but Slovenian guard Luka Doncic is right behind him, and played for new Suns coach Ikor Kokoskov with the Slovenian national team.
Together, they helped Slovenia with a win over Serbia in the final game.
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ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said it's "not a no-brainer" that the Suns will take Ayton. Bilas said Ayton is his No. 1 rated player but that Doncic is "making a good case."
ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony has , as do Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough that the Suns "don't know yet" who they will take and, before the lottery, said Doncic would not be a sure thing at No. 1 despite the connection to Kokoskov.
"It’s an easy assumption to make but we’re going to draft whoever we think the best player is,†McDonough said. “If we do get the No. 1 pick, Doncic will certainly be in that mix. But Ayton and a few other guys will as well.â€
Despite their proximity to McKale Center, and UA's production of NBA players, the Suns haven't drafted a Wildcat player for 22 years and have only taken four in the first two rounds.
The list of UA players :
Ben Davis, 1996, No. 43 (second round)
Anthony Cook, 1989, No. 24 (first round)
Steve Kerr, 1988, No. 50 (second round)
Al Fleming, 1976, No. 30 (second round)
Bill Kennedy, 1972, No. 140 (ninth round)
Bill Davis, 1968, No. 160 (12th round)
Five-star 2019 guard put ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in his top six, along with Oregon, UCLA, USC, Kansas and Texas.
CBS' Dennis Dodd took a big-picture behind the other power conferences.
