Oh me, oh my: The Phoenix Suns are apparently at it again.
After flipping two of the three heads on their three-headed point guard monster during the regular season—Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas—the Suns are now apparently willing to move Eric Bledsoe. Not only that, they’re being aggressive about it, targeting the New York Knicks’ No. 4 pick in June 25’s draft, among other potential packages.
Here’s Sporting News’ Sean Deveney with the lowdown:
The Suns had talks with the Knicks about dealing the fourth pick for point guard Eric Bledsoe and the No. 13 pick, but Phoenix has not been limited to the Knicks in that regard. The Suns have been dangling Bledsoe in trade offers this offseason and are likely to continue to do so after the draft if Bledsoe is not moved this week, sources confirmed.
Kaminsky is among the Suns’ targets in the draft, but there is some question as to whether he will still be around at No. 13. Kaminsky had a good workout and meeting with Indiana, which picks No. 11. Kaminsky has not worked out with any teams beyond the 13th pick.
Sorry, but do the Suns know something we don’t about Bledsoe? He’s an All-Star-type at the league’s deepest position. The Suns may have Brandon Knight to fall back on, but are they really willing to make this dice roll, just so they can pay Knight as opposed to paying Bledsoe?
This all just seems weird.
Super unlikely, too.
Knicks president Phil Jackson wants immediate talent. But he also wants talent that can fit his triangle offense, and Bledsoe isn’t one of the candidates that come to mind. He’s been part of a backcourt platoon for the last two seasons, so he knows how to play off the ball, and his spot-up three-point rate last season wasn’t bad. But he’s mainly a ball-dominant floor general, meaning the Knicks would be displacing him from his primary element. And when the cost is a top-four pick, which could be a pivotal building block for the future, betting on talent over a fit that Jacksons seems obsessed with is a risk in itself.
Not that the Knicks shouldn’t do this if it’s available. They totally should, because they apparently still net a lottery pick in return.
Which, really, is why this remains super unlikely. The Suns aren’t going to trade a fringe superstar for a crapshoot No. 4 pick and then give the Knicks a chance to find their own gem at No. 13. They would have to really hate Bledsoe’s deal—which has four years left on it—to even consider pulling that trigger.
So yeah…Have your grains of salt at the ready. It’s draft season, baby! Chatter like this is everywhere.
