The Phoenix Suns have the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. On many mock draft boards there are shooting guards and small forwards right around that spot that would potentially be available to the Suns, but given their current roster glut of wing players that might not make much sense.
Coach Alvin Gentry confirmed that the team wouldn't want to add another player to their roster at a position where they already have so much depth.
"We would try and avoid that," Gentry said after the Suns finished a workout with a group of prospects. "It would have to be a really, really good wing because I like the guys that we have and the guys thats coming back, so that would be something -- it would have to be somebody pretty special."
General Manager Lance Blanks had a slightly different take on it saying, "On the perimeter, we have a surplus of threes (small forwards) but the off-guard position is something that we'd like to inject."
Blanks said the biggest need was getting better and more physical on the front line.
According to Gentry, the team's biggest need as he's expressed to the front office, is a "go-to" player.
"I still think that we need that go-to guy. A guy that we can throw the ball to at the end of games where he can go get us a basket. I think that's asking a lot for Steve (Nash) to do it all the time, screen and rolls and whatever," Gentry said.
He added that the Suns would explore all the avenues for getting a player like he described. That includes the draft, free agency and trades and of course, he admitted, it might not happen.
The Suns will still workout wings over the next week or so. Alec Burks, shooting guard from Colorado; Klay Thompson, shooting guard from Washington State; and Texas small forward Jordan Hamilton are all scheduled to be in Phoenix for a look as are forwards Tristian Thompson and Marcus Morris. The team also has scouted Bismack Biyombo, an 18-year-old forward / center from the Congo who's playing for a team in Spain.
The Suns are still interviewing for a "defensive coordinator" addition to the coaching staff. They've spoken to former Bulls assistant coach Pete Myers and have a few more interviews to do. The goal is to have someone hired before July so they can get a chance to talk to players before a possible lock out.