Eric Bledsoe is enjoying the best season of his NBA career so far in 2016/17, putting up career-best marks in PPG (21.6), APG (6.2), and several other categories. As Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes, Bledsoe’s impressive season raises the question of whether the Suns should sell high on the veteran point guard or commit to him a part of the team’s long-term future.
Phoenix projects to have a top pick in a 2017 draft that will be loaded with point guards, and Bledsoe has undergone three knee surgeries already, so there’s a case to be made that the Suns would be wise to sell high on him. However, don’t count head coach Earl Watson among those who feels that way. “I can almost guarantee Devin [Booker] and Eric will be on the same team next year,” Watson said, per Lowe.
Here’s more from Lowe’s latest piece:
- As a parenthetical aside in his discussion of Bledsoe, Lowe writes that “nobody wants” Suns guard Brandon Knight. Knight has been mentioned more frequently than Bledsoe as a trade candidate, but if Phoenix hopes to secure a substantial return, it doesn’t sound like moving Knight will accomplish that.
- The Nuggets are “quietly exploring” what sort of return they could get for a package of Emmanuel Mudiay and multiple picks, sources tell Lowe. The ESPN analyst isn’t sure the Suns would be a logical trade partner for Denver though, since Phoenix will have the opportunity to draft a point guard in the summer. Lowe adds that Denver is in no rush to move Mudiay.
- The Suns would have to consider moving Bledsoe if the right team were to offer a “good wing or center, plus a high first-round pick,” according to Lowe. However, he adds that most teams are reluctant to move probable lottery picks at this time of year, when it’s still not clear where they’ll land in the draft.
- Although there’s no indication that the two teams are discussing such a deal, and he acknowledges that there would be roadblocks, Lowe offers his favorite hypothetical Bledsoe deal, involving the Magic: Lowe’s proposal would see Nikola Vucevic, Mario Hezonja, and Orlando’s 2017 pick go to the Suns in exchange for Bledsoe and Alex Len. Per Lowe, the Magic front office remains “divided” on whether or not Elfrid Payton is the club’s long-term solution at point guard.
Is vucevic that much of an upgrade over Len?
Thats not a terrible trade for either team
Doesn’t solve Orlandos problem with Ibaka
Vucevic is an immense upgrade!
Len hasn’t shown anything so far. If he will not improve the next 2 seasons he will be a draft bust…
Mudiay just can’t shoot. It’s a shame he had some potential but the same knock on him going into the draft hasn’t changed.
Knight + picks? I wonder what kind of picks. That would be an interesting deal for maybe the Sixers. I am not a huge Knight fan but the picks aspect is very intriguing. If you play him exclusively at the 2 a deal involving Gerald Henderson/Stauskas would work. Given the minutes he can score. It’s just a matter of how efficient hell be but he can hit 33% from 3. If they get I assume top 3 or top 5 protected pick(s) then yes I’m game.
Mudiay would be interesting in Detroit. Jackson for Mudiay plus picks as a start. A step back for now, but getting younger to build around the core.
SUNS NEED TO START KEEPING TALENT INSTEAD OF WISHING ON A STAR! Keep Bledsoe build around he and Booker
Bledsoe isn’t going to be on this team when Booker, Bender, Chris’s, and this years pick are ready to battle for a potential championship.
Exactly. Plus, Bledsoe’s injury history and current play means his value may never be higher. Since Bledsoe’s window doesn’t really match well with his teammates, it might make sense to ship him off.
The problem is that any player the Suns would want, teams aren’t looking to trade. The only trade I could see working is Bledsoe and like TJ Warren for Wiggins. The Suns could build around Fultz/Ball, Booker, Wiggins, and Chriss/Bender. All around the same age timeline. But again, I can’t see Wiggins being moved. Nor any other wing or center that would be enough return for Bledsoe