Ric Bucher: Phoenix Suns Made an Unnecessary Reach for UNC's Cam Johnson

Ric Bucher: “I don’t have a problem taking Cam Johnson, I have a problem taking Cam Johnson in the LOTTERY. If you were where the Phoenix Suns were and wanted Cam Johnson that’s fine, but you could have moved down and picked up assets and gotten Cam Johnson later. When this went down I texted one of my scouts and I said ‘Cam Johnson to Phoenix, explanation?' He texted back, ‘No idea, LOL, wow, that’s a reach.'”

Listen to NBA insider and Draft analyst Ric Bucher discuss the somewhat shocking move by the Phoenix Suns by drafting lengthy North Carolina shooting guard Cameron Johnson with the no. 11 pick.

The 6’9”, 210-pound senior was one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the country, hitting 96 of his 210 attempts from deep (.457), but no one had the one-dimensional Johnson that high on their draft boards.

Bucher says the Suns obviously liked Johnson, but says they could have traded a lot farther down in the first round and acquired more assets with that no. 11 pick, and STILL would have seen Johnson available late in the first round.

Check out the audio above as Bucher wonders if the Johnson was truly worthy of becoming a lottery pick.