Eric Bledsoe
Even if the Suns draft a point guard, they do not need to trade Eric Bledsoe immediately – unless the right deal is offered. Markelly Fultz or Lonzo Ball could both do well to learn for a season as a backup behind Bledsoe, and would stand a decent chance of getting serious court time anyway should Bledsoe’s knees act up or should he be moved mid-season. That situation would slow Tyler Ulis’ development, but would not necessarily be the kind of logjam that hurt team chemistry when Bledsoe was joined by Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic.
Teams that might have the strongest interest in Bledsoe through trade are likely Chicago, New York, Denver, Dallas, with dark horses Minnesota, and Toronto.
Chicago is the only current playoff team on that particular list, though they made it by the skin of their teeth. After a tumultuous first season, the Bulls would love to move on from Rajon Rondo who is only guaranteed $3M next season if waived, which would open up the starter’s spot for Bledsoe. Hardly a championship contender, even if they happened to somehow upset Boston in the First Round of the Playoffs, the team as currently constructed is only getting older, and not any better. The Bulls would not have to do much maneuvering to keep Jimmy Butler and find a way to put together an acceptable package to acquire Bledsoe.
On the same token, however, if the Bulls end up interested in trading Jimmy Butler, then should the Suns have a new point guard on their roster, trading Bledsoe as part of the package to acquire Butler could also be a possibility.
In New York, all signs currently point to the Knicks moving on from Derrick Rose leaving a gaping hole at point guard for a player like Bledsoe to fill. Of the three main point guards under Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix, only Bledsoe remained publicly quiet about the situation surrounding sharing court time with Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. Could a New York reunion be in the works, and be the kind of move that might save Hornacek’s job?
Unfortunately, other than possibly Willy Hernangomez if Alex Len signs elsewhere, the Knicks do not really have a player who both teams could agree on (the Suns wouldn’t take Carmelo and the Knicks wouldn’t trade Porzingis). However, if Phil Jackson is able to follow through on his recent comments basically saying that he would do anything to get Carmelo out of town, and he considers Bledsoe a player that could help pull the Knicks back into the playoffs, then Phoenix would need to also acquire a player currently not on the Knicks’ payroll to make this trade work. A third team would need to be involved.
Denver probably underachieved this season while the Dallas Mavericks probably overachieved. That being said, a productive scoring point guard like Eric Bledsoe could make the difference on each team making both playoff contenders next season.
In Denver, Emmanuel Mudiay has been a huge disappointment with rumors already circulating this past season about an imminent departure. The Suns would have no interest in Mudiay, but maybe a three-way deal, or just a subsequent Nuggets trade, could create the space to put on the court a nice starting lineup including Bledsoe, Nikola Jokic, and Kenneth Faried.
Surprisingly the Dallas Mavericks were not eliminated until April 1 and will (presumably) only be selecting ninth in the June Draft. With the still productive Dirk Nowitzki, recently acquired Nerlens Noel, Harrison Barnes, and Wesley Matthews, Dallas does appear to only be one additional strong piece away from entering the playoff discussion once again. With J.J. Barea (32) and Devin Harris (34) still under contract for another two and one years respectively, the Mavs would have to move one of them to make room. However, having either one backing up Bledsoe would make for a very solid backcourt rotation.
Minnesota has Ricky Rubio under contract until 2019, but outside of 2-3 more assists per game on average, he has nothing on a player of Bledsoe’s caliber. If the Timberwolves could somehow upgrade the 26-year-old Rubio with 27-year-old Bledsoe, they are in a much better and more competitive position next season presuming also that they already worry that Kris Dunn is not their starting point guard of the future.
Rubio is Minnesota’s point guard of 2017-18 as of now, but is he the point guard to lead the team into a deep playoff run? Phoenix would have no interest in the Spanish Sensation, but if he could be moved concurrently with the acquisition of Bledsoe, there is no doubt that on paper that team just became a lot scarier.
I wrote recently that the 31-year old Kyle Lowry is almost statistically identical to the 27-year old Eric Bledsoe. Plus if he opts out of his contract that will pay him $12M next season via a player option, he will demand a contract under the new salary cap rules that will dwarf what Eric Bledsoe will make for the next two seasons. Replacing Lowry with Bledsoe in Toronto makes more sense than sending him to any other team since the Raptors are already Eastern Conference contenders, and if they could substitute similar talent and attributes at half the price, it would allow them to open up the franchise’s wallet to sign or acquire other higher-priced players to possibly push Toronto over the top of even the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There is no doubt that Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri will call Ryan McDonough and at least inquire as to the cost of trading for Bledsoe this offseason. Should the Raptors move on from Lowry and acquire Bledsoe, that move would surely be in the running for the most shocking shift from one star to another in the league this off-season, but also something that at least on paper, makes all the sense in the world.