Things have gone south with the Phoenix Suns and Eric Bledsoe and appear to be irreconcilable at this point as Bledsoe hasn’t practiced or been with the team in over a week.
While Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough says there is no rush to trade Bledsoe, the Suns would prefer to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
So who should be in contention for Bledsoe’s services? Three teams come to mind: Denver, Milwaukee and San Antonio.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have not looked as good as anticipated thus far this season after taking a step forward last season and acquiring Paul Millsap this summer. There is one huge reason why: they don’t have a true point guard.
Emmanuel Mudiay has shown that he doesn’t possess the shooting ability, defensive awareness or overall feel for the game to be a starting point guard in the NBA and second-year player Jamal Murray is a score-first combo guard, not a table-setting point guard. Can anybody tell me why they released Jameer Nelson? Bledsoe would be the missing piece to activate what could be a top four or five team in the western conference with their depth on the wing and stars like Nikola Jokic and Millsap.
Here is a potential trade offer:
The Nuggets get their point guard and finally let go of Faried who has been on the trade block for an eternity now, and the Suns get another young piece who can bloom into a really good player for them, possibly their sixth man scorer off of the bench. A role that Brandon Knight could not fill.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are a solid team and definitely a playoff team in the eastern conference this season, but they are another all-star caliber player away from really being able to enter the east’s elite. That is where Eric Bledsoe comes in. I have two trade scenarios here, the first is more of what is being reported and makes sense for both sides as the Bucks essentially swap out a promising young guard for a more established one…
Even more reason for the Bucks to be open to a trade is that fact that they are currently in the luxury tax and few teams can absorb Greg Monroe’s $17 million salary at this point.
Here is trade scenario 2 which is risky for both sides but could be a home run for the Suns…
The Bucks get their point guard in Bledsoe, go under the tax by trading Monroe and get a very solid starter or sixth man on a reasonable contract going forward in T.J. Warren.
The Suns meanwhile get another young star who can work with their training staff to get his explosiveness back and could pair very nicely alongside Josh Jackson and Devin Booker. Win-win scenario.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are holding up alright with Kawhi Leonard’s absence to start the season as well as Tony Parker, due to Aldridge’s return to his previous form and other guys stepping up.
If they truly want to compete with the likes of Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul in the west though, a 35-year-old point guard is not going to cut it. That is why it would behoove them to make the cold-hard decision to deal Parker, Dejounte Murray and their 1st round pick for Bledsoe…
Well there you have it, three teams who could really use a borderline All-Star caliber point guard like Eric Bledsoe in his prime. Don’t expect him to be a Phoenix Sun in 2018.
