The Suns decided against trying to hammer out an extension with guard Eric Bledsoe before this year’s Halloween deadline. The rationale from Phoenix over the offseason was that they wanted to know for sure that the athletic Kentucky product would shine in his first full year as a starter. Now that he’s left no doubt, GM Ryan McDonough says there’s no way he’ll let Bledsoe walk as a restricted free agent.
“Obviously we don’t have a whole lot of money committed for the future, we don’t have a lot of long-term contracts on our books. So we’ll have no problem stepping up and paying Eric whatever it takes to keep him,” McDonough told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
In addition to the built-in advantages that Phoenix has in their effort to re-sign him (five contract years versus four from others, high percentage increases), McDonough points out that Bledsoe is also happy with the Suns. Meanwhile, Bledsoe isn’t bitter over not getting a contract before the season. The guard told his agent back in October that he was fully prepared to play without a deal beyond the 2013/14 season.
The 24-year-old has been nothing short of stellar in his first year with the Suns, averaging 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG with a PER of 20.2.
i expect the lakers to offer him the max, and i expect the suns to macth…lakers should offer more then hes worth to muddie up the suns future books