Suns Rumors: Knicks Interested In Eric Bledsoe?
As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors and fake trade speculation crop up, and this year will probably be no different. With teams trying to avoid revealing their hand, half the rumors that begin to circulate around this time of year are simply set into motion to hide true intentions.
With the case of the latest Eric Bledsoe-New York Knicks “rumors,” it appears that harmless speculation about what the Knicks might trade their No. 4 pick for has given way to an outright labeling of “interest” in the Phoenix Suns’ point guard.
In an online chat with his readers, ESPN’s Chad Ford was asked by Noah from Los Angeles:
"“Sounds like the Suns like Knight more than Bledsoe. Any way they could use him and 13 to swap picks with the Knicks?”"
Ford responded:
"“I definitely think that could be an option. That’s the sort of deal the Knicks would look at. But for cap reasons, would have to happen after the draft.”"
Suddenly, because of one man’s opinion (informed though it may be), the Knicks are “interested” in Bledsoe. This kind of faulty jump in logic normally wouldn’t even be worth broaching, but since we’ve got time to kill before the draft, we might as well leave no stone unturned.
There are a few reasons that this “rumor” feels unsubstantiated. First of all, the Suns’ front office has given no indication that they “like Knight more than Bledsoe.” Phoenix will be attempting to re-sign Knight, a restricted free agent, to a near max deal this summer, true enough, but they were more than pleased with Bledsoe’s progress this season on both ends of the floor, heaping all sorts of praise on him during exit interviews.
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After averaging 17 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in his first full season as a starter, Bledsoe is Phoenix’s best player at the moment. He’ll probably never be good enough to be the best player on a contender, but his two-way excellence is not something Phoenix would trade away lightly, especially to fully commit to a guy like Knight who’s still entirely unproven after an ankle injury limited him to 11 games with the Suns.
New York has been reportedly thinking about trading down, so no one would be surprised if the talent-devoid Knicks legitimately are interested in Bledsoe, but that also doesn’t mean a deal is forthcoming.
At pre-draft workouts, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough iterated and reiterated that Phoenix is comfortable selecting at No. 13.
"“Where we stand today is that we’re very comfortable staying there and picking there. It would have to take a really good offer for us to move the pick. As I mentioned before, I think it’s unlikely we add, like, an additional first round pick this year or drop down in the draft.“We’ll actually take those calls if they come to us but we’re comfortable with where we are at 13, we like the pool of players we think will be there, so that’s the plan as of today.”"
A lot can change in the days leading up to the draft, and most of these deals don’t get completed until the actual night of the draft. If the Suns were to move Bledsoe and their 13th overall pick to get the fourth pick in the draft, both teams would have to select for the other and officially complete the transaction after draft day due to salary cap reasons, as Ford mentions.
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However, trading a lottery pick and a borderline All-Star feels like a bit much, even for the No. 4 pick, which means the Suns would probably be asking for a little more compensation in such a deal.
Regardless, don’t count on this being a legitimate decision for the Suns to make. The front office seems committed to a Bledsoe-Knight tandem for the long-term and even if they’re not, they still enjoy pairing two combo guards together in the backcourt. D’Angelo Russell is the only prospect that fits that profile, so even though adding a young talent like Russell would be tremendous, there’s no guarantee he falls to the Knicks at No. 4.
As grim as Phoenix’s situation looked over the last year, the Suns do have some nice, young players to look forward to. This team still needs a star, but for the time being, improving internally seems like the best course of action. I find it highly unlikely the Suns package Bledsoe — after already having traded away Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas — to fully invest in the 23-year-old Knight who’s played a grand total of 11 games with the team.
The prospect of a top-five pick is enticing, but trading Bledsoe for yet another young prospect in need of development would feel like a Sam Hinkie-esque step backward in the rebuilding process.
Next: Rashad Vaughn: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile