For those willing to trade Davion for #22 (or worse), here are the #22 picks from 2014 to 2020 (not including latter ones, since some might see a significant change over the next few years).
- 2014: Jordan Adams (currently playing in Indonesia)
- 2015: Bobby Portis (decent player, but currently on his 4th team)
- 2016: Malachi Richardson (Kings' fans are familiar with his. Currently playing in Indonesia)
- 2017: Jarrett Allen (1x All-Star so far)
- 2018: Chandler Hutchison (currently playing in G-league)
- 2019: Grant Williams (no significant achievement as a player; currently on his 3rd team)
- 2020: Zeke Nnaji (Has not been able to contribute significantly in a stacked Nuggets team)
Out of 7 players, 3 are out of the league, only 2 are playing with the teams that drafted them, and one made the All-Star team. A case can be made for Bobby for having a good career so far, but it was only after several years, and with his 4th team.
All in all, I think trading Davion to Phoenix would be a mistake. I understand that draft picks give you the possibility of a home run, but you are more likely to strike out. Plus, the first few years are very cheap. However, even if we do make a good pick, history suggests he will shine elsewhere. With Davion, you are assured of a solid single at least. By contrast, Suns will get a decent backup who plays great on-ball defense, improved his outside shot, and might see more time on a team often plagued by injuries. Do folks want to help out a team that will be competing with us for playoffs?
That said, I do agree that we need to address our roster imbalance. Swapping out guard(s) for front court help is clearly the way to go. I suspect that Monte would like to go for more established players instead of rolling the dice in the draft. A rookie, even a good one, is not expected to make a significant difference the first couple of years (I know there are exceptions, including Keegan, but that's rare).