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5 Possible Suns Trades of Eric Bledsoe

By Tim Holstad

Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and teammate Devin Booker (1) against the Washington Wizards at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) and teammate Devin Booker (1) against the Washington Wizards at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Eric Bledsoe had a career year last season with the Phoenix Suns. He was healthy, he emerged as a leader of a young team, and he developed a chemistry when given valuable playing time with the rookies and sophomores of this team. Before the Suns shut him down for the season, Bledsoe played 66 games and averaged 21.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 43.4% from the field (Basketball-reference.com). He averaged a career high in PPG, APG, and FT%. 

Despite Bledsoe’s season, the Suns were the second-worst team in basketball. They have a chance to land a top-2 pick in a very talented, very top-heavy draft this off-season. If they are lucky enough to score one of the top-2, the two best players available are both point guards. Many scouts and experts believe that both Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball are franchise point guards, and not many teams in the league have the luxury of passing up the opportunity to draft a franchise point guard. The Suns included.

Eric Bledsoe is 27-years-old and right in the middle of his prime. He is also an All-Star caliber player, when healthy, although with Phoenix he may never make the All-Star game simply because of the depth of talent at the position in the Western conference. He is an above-average defender, and his ability to slash into the paint and draw the defense in is one of the main facets of the Suns’ offense.

His biggest problem though he something he just cannot control: he just doesn’t fit in with this team’s timeline. Phoenix’s core players are 19, 20, 21 years old, and Bledsoe will be out of his prime by the time the rest of the team is even sniffing the beginning of theirs.

If the Suns don’t get a pick high enough to snag either Fultz or Ball, if they get the 3rd pick, or 4th, or God-forbid the 5th pick, then they should not look to trade Bledsoe. However, if they happen to get a top-2 pick, the Suns need to move him.

There are several teams in the league that could definitely use the likes of a player like Eric, and the Suns should explore trades with all of them. Here are five trades they could make to move him and bring in a valuable asset in return.

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