Events and Dates to Know Leading Up to the NBA Draft

No single day can turn around a franchise like the NBA Draft. Phoenix knows this as well as any team, having seen players like Shawn Marion, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dan Majerle, Walter Davis and Alvan Adams go from Suns draft pick to multiple-time All-Stars.

This summer holds even more potential for a quick turnaround. Phoenix will likely hold four of the top 35 picks – their own first and second-rounders, Washington’s first-rounder (pending draft lottery results) and Cleveland’s first-round selection.

Striking pay dirt with 29 other teams digging in the same mine of talent is not easy or predictable, of course. The preparation process to unearth hidden gems will ramp up over the coming weeks. Here are some of the important dates and events that are circled on front-office calendars:

At this point, scouts have already dissected recent game film of nearly all the prospects in play. The Chicago combine, however, is the first time NBA personnel can get an close-up look without the NCAA's red tape halting them at a distance.

Interviews are the biggest opportunity to be had in the Windy City, a chance to get answers to the questions that weren't answered in the film room. What makes them tick? What kind of personalities do they have? Were there concerns or issues that need to be explained? Chicago is where teams will get a quick but personal read on their list of potential draftees.

Athletic testing will also take place. Speed, vertical jump and weight will measure far more than a prospect's current physical state. The precious time between the end of a prospect's amateur season and the NBA Draft is when a player can show he's serious about taking the next step. Did he let his game grow stale – or hone it even further to take the next step?

Lady Luck will have two chances to smile at Phoenix on this date. One is in regards to the Suns' own first-round pick, which has a 37.8-percent chance of winding up in the top three. It could also stay put at the fourth spot (9.9 percent), or drop anywhere from one to three spots depending on the number of teams that jump ahead of them (52.3-percent).

Phoenix also holds Washington's pick, but only if it is not one of the top nine selections. There is only a 2.2-percent chance of that happening, though, so the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the Suns holding two lottery picks come draft night.

With that kind of ammo, anything can happen.

Once teams know where their draft picks land, they can start working out prospects who 1) will likely fall in their range, or 2) they consider highly enough to trade up or down to select.

NBA teams will work out roughly 80 total players, though some restrictions apply to the process. They can only bring in up to six players at once on any given day. This prevents five-on-five scrimmage situations, but three-on-three, two-on-two and one-on-one drills and scrimmages are on the table. Further athletic testing will take place, while team training staffs will be able to give their own physical assessment of the player in question. It also gives front office and coaching staffs another chance for in-depth interviews, this time in the environs of the NBA team.

As the draft approaches, teams zero in on players that are of particular interest and work them out a second time. Unlike the initial wave of pre-draft workouts, these second looks are often unannounced in order to not show the team's draft-night hand.

NCAA athletes who have finished their four-year college eligibility, as well as international players who are at least 23 years old, are automatically eligible for the NBA Draft. Prospects younger than either of those marks are considered early entries, and must submit a letter to the league in order to be draft-eligible.

Due to revised NBA rules, those early entry prospects now have until June 13 to gauge the likelihood of their getting drafted. Before and up to that date, they can withdraw themselves from consideration. In the case of NCAA athletes, this also means they can preserve their right to return to their college clubs (provided they also do not hire an agent in that time).

After this date, NBA teams will know exactly how many fish are in the draft pool, and can thus better prepare their plans and priorities for draft night.

Phoenix won't have to wait long to be on the clock for their own pick. That doesn't mean, though, that the night will be predictable. With so many picks and an already-young team, Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough admitted it was "unlikely" they would draft and keep four rookies.

Trades can take place between teams in any day leading up to the draft (assuming they are eliminated from the playoffs), but most draft-centered moves wait until the night itself, when teams are certain the guy they want is available. Phoenix could target a player above even where they are set to draft – or they could trade down or out of at least one pick in order to acquire an impact player or a future pick.Whatever happens, June 23 should have a major say in the direction of the Suns' future.