The Eric Bledsoe Saga (part 3)

Where could Bledsoe end up?  I'm not saying any of these deals are great but they are (potentially) possible.  

Pelicans can offer Tyreke Evans (3yrs/$33.6m) and Austin Rivers (1yr/$2.5), that’s not bad.  For the Pelicans Bledsoe is a forward-looking replacement for Evans and it would solve their ‘what do we do with Austin Rivers?’ problem.  (Though it doesn’t solve their ‘what do we do with Eric Gordon?’ problem)  For the Suns, Evans is not a bad replacement for Bledsoe, not as good, not as much upside but not as expensive, could play right away in their offense, and is a reasonable deal for the next 2 yrs; Rivers could thrive in Phoenix, giving them ballhandling/shooting options off the bench and he’s still cheap.  I’d rather have Bledsoe but this deal seems do-able to me, though sooner rather than later. 

Jazz could offer Derrick Favors (4yrs/$44m) straight up but I’d rather have Bledsoe—and the Jazz are probably the one team in the league that would rather have Favors.  They could offer Kanter (1yr/$5.6), Burks (1yr/$3m), a bigass trade exception, maybe a 1^st rounder too.  I’d rather have Bledsoe (and while I think Bledsoe fits well with the Sixer youth, I’m not sure it’s a perfect match with the Jazz youth) but Kanter and Burks are interesting young talents, a trade exception is always nice if you’re looking to swing a veteran deal at the deadline, and another 1^st rounder from a lottery team is tough to pass up, all while taking back less salary.  I’d rather have Bledsoe but that deal is do-able. 

Kings could offer Carl Landry (3yrs/$19m), Derrick Williams (1yr/$6m) and a 1^st rounder (and the Suns would be taking back less salary).  Landry is a durable, reliable backup C with a decent contract going forward.  Williams is a hometown kid at the end of his deal, if he’s good the Suns have his Bird Rights, if not then at least they gave the hometown kid one last shot.  Neither of these guys is as good as Bledsoe and while they’re each intriguing, I think an extra 1^st rounder (especially from a perennial lottery team) is a necessary sweetener.  But, seriously?  If all they get for Bledsoe is Carl Landry, that’s not good enough.  I doubt this happens but the Kings have shown interest in Bledsoe before and they have a knack for pulling off dumb deals, maybe they can make it happen. 

Hawks could offer Al Horford (2yrs/$24m) straight up for Bledsoe but that would just be swapping stars and for the Hawks, it wouldn’t make them any better in the East.  I’d rather play Bledsoe with Horford rather than instead of him.  Of the other players, Millsap (1yr/$9.5m) plus Demarre Carroll (1yr/$3.5m) kinda works contract-wise; Millsap would be a nice addition to the Suns, Carroll nice depth for the bench.   But the Suns need guys under contract, they need some longterm value for Bledsoe so I don't think two expirings is attractive enough.   It would leave the Hawks with a formidable tandem of Teague, Bledsoe, Korver, Horford (woof!).  Not ideal but not bad, if the Hawks added a 1^st rounder then this is a deal that could still be around at the trade deadline. 

Celtics could offer Jeff Green, Kelly Olynyk, Phil Pressey and a 1^st rounder for Bledsoe.  I’d rather have Bledsoe than one expensive year of Green, another plucky garbage man in Olynyk, the unguaranteed (I presume) Pressey and a non-lottery pick next year.  Or Celtics could offer Rondo straight up.  Personally, I think 4 yrs of Bledsoe is worth waaaay more than 1yr of Rondo but I suspect Celtics fans would balk at that.  I don’t think Rondo is a good fit for the Suns (or anyone, really, which is the Celtics’ cross to bear).   I think the Suns should strike down that talk quickly, I’d much rather have Bledsoe.  I don’t think Rondo for Bledsoe is unimaginable as some NBA fans but I don’t think it’s likely either. 

Bucks could offer a coupla different permutations of Mayo (2yr/$16m), Ilyasova (3yrs/$16.2m), Pachulia (2yrs/$10.4m) and Knight (1yr/$3.5m) but I don’t see any interest in Mayo nor in the length of Ilyasova’s deal; Pachulia and Knight are okay contracts and I think they’d fit the Suns but the topline salaries are unappealing.  (And I didn’t even mention Larry Sanders (4yrs/$44m), if they won’t pay Bledsoe, there’s no way they’re paying Sanders!).  Bucks don’t seem likely unless they come up with a load of sweeteners. 

Nets can pretty much only offer Kevin Garnett (1yr/$12m) but personally I’d rather eat my hat than watch KG pretend like he can still play basketball.  If you’re looking to a dump a bad contract for 1yr of zero, then KG is your man; but if you’re looking to bring back an actual NBA player, KG has not been that guy for a coupla years now.  He’ll be retiring to Arizona soon enough, I’m sure, but hopefully not as a Sun.  Otherwise, the Nets have vastly overpriced guys and, like the Magic, a ton of pebbles that don’t add up to anything worthwhile.  Plus, they’ve given away all their 1^st rounders so they got no sweeteners.  Nets are out. 

Knicks can pretty much only offer Bargnani (1yr/$11.5) plus Shumpert (1yr/$2.6), plus a 1^st rounder.  If I’m the Knicks I’d gladly make that deal, but for the Suns not so good a deal.  I think Bargnani and Shumpert could be good for the Suns, both could easily fit into that Suns rotation and contribute; but there’s no way they’re re-signing Bargnani unless he has a Renaissance of Raphael-like proportions, and Shumpert is just another guy in that line-up, not exactly a priority for next summer.  Bledsoe is going to be good (we think) for 3-5 years, so when you’re looking to match value for him, you need some long-term expectation in return.  Two expiring contracts and a non-lottery pick are not so enticing here, I’d much rather have Bledsoe.