During a conference call Tuesday after the Phoenix Suns were awarded the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, general manager Ryan McDonough suggested the Suns aren't terribly interested in trading that top pick.
"I think it's very unlikely that we would trade (that pick)," McDonough said, unless it was for an "established young star."
Speaking to ESPN on Friday, however, McDonough sounded like a man who's more open to listening to offers for the top pick, which also happens to be the first No. 1 overall draft pick in Suns history.
"We're certainly open to that. We'll consider it," McDonough told ESPN. "Obviously, we'll have more information closer to the draft than we do today, after we go through the workout process and the interview process and we get the medical physicals. So, we're open to that.
"I think if you look around the NBA, as far as the veteran players, there are probably a few players we'd consider trading the pick for ... So, it'll be a busy month for us."
The two strongest candidates to be selected with the No. 1 pick are Arizona Wildcats center Deandre Ayton and Slovenian point guard Luka Doncic -- although Doncic suggested Thursday that he might choose to remain in Europe after he completes his season with Spanish club Real Madrid.
On Tuesday, McDonough said he'll likely make a trip overseas to meet with Doncic before the draft, and he called Ayton a "phenomenal talent" who will be "heavily in the mix for us at No. 1."
Whatever McDonough and the Suns decide to do, they'll have over a month to do it, as the 2018 NBA Draft won't take place until June 21.
