Report: Suns Could Trade Up in 2026 NBA Draft

PHOENIX -- After making several trades last season to land three draft picks, the Phoenix Suns could reportedly be looking to move up again in this season's NBA Draft.

Phoenix currently only has the 47th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor had them selecting Florida big man Rueben Chinyelu in his latest mock draft, adding an interesting note in his description:

"League sources say the Suns will explore trading into the first round in June’s draft. For now, this is their first selection. Finding a big could make sense with Mark Williams entering free agency — especially if that big can play alongside Khaman Maluach. Chinyelu could be a fit. He picked up basketball as a teenager in Nigeria, worked his way up through the NBA Academy Africa pipeline in Senegal, spent a freshman year at Washington State, then transferred to Florida and became the muscle behind a national title team. As a junior, he swept every major defensive player of the year award. The role he projects for is crystal clear: rebound, anchor the paint, finish lobs, and set the tone."

Under Mat Ishbia, the Suns have exhausted most of their future draft capital, but still found creative ways to get picks leading up to drafts.

In 2024, the Suns traded down from No. 22 to No. 28 to select Ryan Dunn, then used other draft capital to move up in the second round and pick Oso Ighodaro at No. 40.

Last year, Phoenix acquired the 10th pick, which was used on Khaman Maluach, in the Kevin Durant trade, then packaged future second-round picks to land the 31st pick and select Rasheer Fleming, and finally traded up to No. 41 for Koby Brea with the 52nd and 59th picks.

Phoenix's 47th pick this year is also from the Durant trade and was the only future draft capital the Suns ended up acquiring in the deal.

A trade into the first round this year seems it would likely be centered around players, such as Mark Williams, Grayson Allen or Royce O'Neale, rather than draft picks.

This season's NBA Draft is expected to be historic with a lot of depth even late in the first round and early second, which could allow the Suns to target a player they're high on if they want to move up and add another pick.

The Suns have options leading up to the draft and if recent history has said anything, expect at least one move in the draft, which could reportedly be trading into the first round.

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