Let’s get a little analytical here. Last season, the Libs and the Sun were the #3 & #4 seeds in the playoffs. This year the Libs have totally collapsed and the Sun are kinda collapsing. They seem to be only slightly better with the return of Alyssa Thomas, and it doesn’t seem like the Bentley trade has really favored them, but they’ll get that extra second round pick next year, something they really shouldn’t need because this team is already loaded with talent. If the Aces were to catch the Sun and knock them out of the playoffs, the Sun would be pretty much locked into odds of 75% of getting the #4 pick. Those are odds that are difficult to beat. Now if the Sun were able to make the playoffs as a #8 seed, they’d still get the #5 pick in the draft. That seems like the best of both worlds considering the situation. You’re in the playoffs where anything can happen, and you also get a very high pick. Not a lot of difference between the #4 & #5 picks in the 2019 draft, and you have Amber Stocks picking ahead of you. Will KLS be available at the #5 pick? Depending on what kind of senior season she has, probably not, but there is a lot of first round depth in this draft. They should be able to find somebody to take Laney or BJ’s spot, if that’s what they want to do.
Since the Sun have already have plenty of depth on the team, I wonder if they might consider trading their 2019 first round pick to a team that could be desperate right away for another first round pick, like Indy, Chicago, or the Liberty. Parlay that 2019 first round pick into a 2020 first round pick and get an extra ticket into the Ionescu lottery. Might not be a bad strategy for the Sun.
