Now that LeBron James has moved on to Cleveland, free agency has been a non-stop tornado of transactions. While all of the star free agents have made their decisions, the next tier of young stars-to-be are moving a bit slower in the process.
One example of this is restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns. Most teams believe that Phoenix will match any offer made for Bledsoe, but recent reports from ESPN could have teams feeling confident about stealing the guard away from the desert.
Bledsoe’s representatives have been engaged in discussions with Phoenix, but the Suns’ offer is far below what Bledsoe is looking for.
The thought that the Suns will match any offer Bledsoe receives from a competing club has deterred teams from aggressively pursuing the 24-year-old point guard. Phoenix has thus far refused to discuss potential sign-and-trade opportunities.
But the Suns’ completion of a sign-and-trade deal for Isaiah Thomas, along with the drafting of point guard Tyler Ennis, has potential suitors believing that Phoenix may move on from Bledsoe, league sources said.
The Suns have made some peculiar moves in free agency and the draft, namely bringing in the two point guards mentioned above. For a team that already employed a two-PG rotation last season with Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, it would seem that there is one too many cooks in the backcourt.
While it would be difficult to imagine the Suns letting a player of Bledsoe’s talent and potential leave, it’s no longer a lock that they will bring back the Kentucky product either.