According to Phoenix sports analyst Jude LaCava, the Phoenix Suns are actively working on trading Eric Bledsoe.
On Tuesday, He told Fox Sports in Phoenix that "trade possibilities are very, very real."
Although he didn't name any specific team the Suns were in talks with, he did say they were working on finding a trading partner.
"The decision makers are....open to that possibility," he said.
"I do believe in my NBA sources, and you can take this to the bank, so to speak, the Suns are now discussing trade possibilities for Eric Bledsoe."
Bledsoe averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Suns last season, and worked well with rising star Goran Dragic. The Suns, to many people's surprise, had one of the most exciting offenses in the NBA, and became one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2013-14 season.
Bledsoe would be hard-pressed to find a better fit than what he has under rookie coach Paul Hornacek's offense, but money and other factors are making it hard for him to stay.
LaCava said the relationship between Bledsoe and Phoenix is just not a match, and he's afraid it's just not going to work out.
He eludes to the possibility that Bledsoe is upset because the team didn't extend his contract fast enough, in the early parts of last year.
Bledsoe ended up turning down Phoenix's offer of four-years, at $48 million because he felt he deserved a five-year, max contract at somewhere closer to $80 million. If Bledsoe does take the Sun's offer, he will be eligible for free agency next year, so he could pick up another contract, and Phoenix would get nothing for him then. Still, LaCava said the team need to think the trade possibilities through because Bledsoe is talented and will be hard to replace.
He says the team needs to be 'dead on" and get someone who is going to make them, "as good or better," when it's all settled.
Rajon Rondo is in a similar situation in Boston, so the Suns could look to the Celtics first.
According to the NBA Bulletin, the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons could also be destinations for Bledsoe. If the Sun's could work something out with the Lakers, we might see Steve Nash in Phoenix again, as a sort of homecoming before he retires.
