The Phoenix Suns were in the running for the worst team in the league during the preseason. Almost all the previews were unanimous that they wanted to tank. However, an unexpected start has made them re-think their direction.

The Suns were successful in their goal. They have three conditional draft picks aside from their own in the first round of one of the best projected drafts in history.

Almost all teams want to take a bigger part of this draft. The Rockets want a draft pick for Omer Asik, the Sixers and Raptors are shopping their stars for picks as well. Suns GM Ryan McDonough has already beat them to it. If the conditions run in their favor, they will have their own draft pick, Minnesota's pick from the Wesley Johnson salary dump trade that also involved New Orleans. It allowed the T-Wolves to sign Kevin Martin and Corey Brewer last summer. They have the Wizards pick from the Marcin Gortat trade and Indiana's pick from the Luis Scola trade.

All those trades made the recipient teams stronger this season, and Phoenix virtually lost all their stars, except when they acquired Eric Bledsoe in a trade with the Clippers.

Bledsoe and holdover Goran Dragic are one of the most explosive backcourts in the league. They are now 13-9, better than the Timberwolves, and they will have their first round pick, unless Minnesota ends up in the lottery (pick is Top 13 protected, will move to 2015). They are almost certain to take the Indiana Pacers pick (Top 14 protected, but Pacers are tops in the league) and has a lottery chance with the Wizards (Top 12 protected).

Now, McDonough realizes he has a chance to contend. He wanted to have a young team, but they might be too young:  "I think one of the things that's important for people to realize is that we may not draft four players even if we have four picks," McDonough told NBA.com. "Our preference would probably be to maybe package a few of them. We're obviously all looking for stars and we feel like we can put together a package as good, if not better, than any other team in the league if and when a star becomes available. That's kind of generally what we've wanted to do, not only with our draft-pick situation but also with the cap space that we've acquired."

The Suns don't have a go-to-guy that is absolutely necessary in the playoffs. With Bledsoe and Dragic as building blocks, they can trade their picks for a star, and get two late first round pieces for their own.

It was wise for McDonough to state this after Rudy Gay was traded. The Raptors would aggressively sell Gay for those picks. They can also take Omer Asik for two first round picks. McDonough has all the options, and with a great choice for a coach (first timer Jeff Hornacek) he is a candidate for executive of the Year if the Suns unexpectedly make the playoffs.