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Should The Suns Trade Eric Bledsoe For A Draft Pick?

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe reacts in the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Blazers 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe reacts in the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Blazers 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Eric Bledsoe
Jun. 5, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough talks to the media after pre-draft workout. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Bourguet-Valley of the Suns /

Smoke And Mirrors Or Legitimate Rumor?

True enough, Bledsoe’s five-year, $70 million extension last summer seemed like an awful lot to pay for an injury-prone point guard, but he stayed healthy and performed well enough to earn his money. And with the way that the NBA’s salary cap is projected to explode to $89 million in 2016-17 and around $109 million in 2017-18, his contract won’t bog down Phoenix’s cap room.

Bearing all this in mind, trading Bledsoe seems like a shaky proposition so far. But perhaps that’s the point. At this time of year, rumors and “reports” start floating around that are often perpetuated by teams simply to mislead the competition and keep their true intentions hidden.

Isn’t it a bit odd that this latest rumor involves the Knicks, a team that’s frequently been reported to be considering trading down? Perhaps New York is serious about moving the pick after missing out on a top-two selection, but even if they are, how can we be sure this latest report is anything more than a rumor encouraged by Knicks’ brass to keep other teams guessing?

The NBA is a funhouse of smoke and mirrors at this time of year. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that McDonough was telling the world that the Suns were perfectly content with their position in this year’s draft:

"“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.”"

To be fair, he did say that a substantially good offer would give him pause to reconsider. But is trading a lottery pick and a borderline All-Star who’s not done growing really worth the No. 4 pick? It’s hard to say, especially since McDonough’s words about being comfortable at No. 13 could be the same kind of smoke and mirror sketch I was just harping on about.

But at this time in the NBA cycle, every report that’s not from a major media outlet should be taken with an equally major grain of salt.

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