Well this isn’t good.
Eric Bledsoe and the Phoenix Suns’ dance around and toward each other continues. Or are they now dancing away from one another?
Mini LeBron hasn’t spoken to the Suns for the last four months, according to owner Robert Sarver (via Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic):
A Comcast SportsNet Northwest report quoted a source who said the Suns’ relationship with Bledsoe “is on the express lane to being ruined.”
ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard reported that the relationship is going in the “wrong direction.”
“Maybe that’s just posturing and negotiating,” Sarver said of the reports. “We haven’t heard from the guy in four months, so I couldn’t tell you. I do know that when he played here, he felt good about the organization, his coaching staff and his teammates at the end of the season. We had the same feelings toward him.”
Crap is starting to get awkward.
Four months ago was pretty much the season. Less than four months ago, Bledsoe played in his final regular-season game. If he hasn’t spoken to the team since then, well, that’s weird.
Agents handle negotiations, I’m sure. But if he’s indeed searching for a max contract, Bledsoe should consider getting in the room himself and attempting to hash this stuff out, or at least be present for when it all goes to shit like it seems to be now.
The Suns have a standing four-year, $48 million offer on the table, per Coro. If they’re not willing to budge, Bledsoe has only two options: Accept said offer or take his $3.7 million qualifying offer, play through 2014-15 and explore unrestricted free agency next summer, at which point he can sign with whichever team he pleases.
Technically he could try to force a sign-and-trade as well, but there’s little chance the Suns play ball. They have all the power, especially with two other solid point guards in Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic on the roster. There’s no telling if there are teams out there willing to relinquish the necessary assets and then sign him to a huge pact, either.
Photo credit: Tobin Halsey.
Accepting the qualifying offer is the only way Bledsoe gains some leverage. It’s risky, but it has the potential to pay huge dividends, hence Greg Monroe’s decision to do the exact same thing with the Detroit Pistons.
If Bledsoe remains healthy and productive, he’ll have plenty of suitors chomping at the bit, offering him a more lucrative contract. Teams that could have cap space next summer include, but are not limited to, the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. That’s some pretty damn good leverage if any of those clubs show interest, which they should, since none of them have a long-term solution at point guard right now.
Having Bledsoe sign that qualifying offer isn’t the worst thing in the world for Phoenix, either. The Suns get at least one more year out of their star-ish point guard while maintaining the ability to offer him more money and years than any other team next summer.
Even if things are still tense one year from now, Bledsoe isn’t going to ignore a max contract, no matter who it’s coming from. It would be quite the gesture.
Of course, there’s no predicting the future. Bledsoe has to accept said qualifying offer first, which he may or may not do. There’s no way of knowing at this point. He was considered a lock to stay before last season ended.
Four months later, here we are, the Suns dangling $30-plus million less than Bledsoe’s seeking, the relationship between player and team wilting, the only certainty being uncertainty itself.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
