PHOENIX (AP) – It’s not clear whether the Phoenix Suns will make a trade to move up in Thursday’s NBA draft.
But it is clear they’re entertaining the idea after they hosted a workout with forwards Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer of Florida and forward Jeff Green of Georgetown on Tuesday. All three are projected lottery picks.
“I think the big thing is, if you’ve got a chance to possibly move up, you want to see these guys up close,” general manager Steve Kerr said after the session at U.S. Airways Center. “We have a chance. Whether it’s a great chance or not, I don’t really know at this point because everybody’s just talking, and you don’t know what to believe and what not to believe.
Given that it is a possibility, we felt strongly about getting these guys in here and talking to them, meeting them and watching them up close,” Kerr said.
Phoenix has two first-round picks – Nos. 24 and 29. The Suns also have the 59th selection.
To have any shot at Noah, Brewer or Green, the Suns would have to make a trade. Speculation has been swirling – some of it fueled by comments from Suns officials – that the team is close to a deal. But Kerr wouldn’t tip his hand.
“I can’t give you any percentage,” Kerr said. “You discuss things, and obviously we feel good enough about the possibility that we brought the kids in, and they felt good enough to come.”
Noah, Brewer and Green worked out privately and did not speak to reporters.
Kerr was impressed with what he saw from the three juniors. “I think that all three guys could play right away for almost every team in the NBA,” Kerr said. “I don’t know if any of the three would be starters on our team. I think we’ve got obviously one of the most talented starting groups in the NBA. But they’re all different.”
Noah and Brewer were critical parts of the Gators’ back-to-back national championships. The 6-foot-11, 232-pound Noah averaged 14.2 points and 12.0 points per game the last two years. But NBA teams are most impressed with his athleticism and shot-blocking. He was named most outstanding player of the 2006 Final Four.
The 6-foot-9, 185-pound Brewer was named most outstanding player of last spring’s Final Four. He averaged 11.3 points per game in three years as a starter at Florida. He shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Green, led the Hoyas with 11.9 points per game, and his 6.5 rebounds per game ranked second on the team.
“They’re competitors,” Kerr said. “They’re gamers. That’s why they’re in the position they’re in.”
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