Eric Bledsoe [RFA]

[INFORMER]

This is a whole lot of fuss for a guy who has never started an entire season and has only played 43 games as a Sun.

[Mori Chu]

That letter is a real evisceration. Not sure that it helps the situation to have local media sniping at him, but he speaks a lot of truth. Rich Paul looks like such a clown in all of this. What a crappy agent.

[TOO]

This is a whole lot of fuss for a guy who has never started an entire season and has only played 43 games as a Sun.

This.

[pickle]

His "worth" around the league is honestly probably a little more than $4/48. But worth is very subjective and time-sensitive. He could have gotten more as a UFA but them's the breaks. As an RFA right at this moment, $4/48 is fair.

i'm really curious why he feels he's worth more... sure he's a good player, but he hasn't proven that he could lead a team on his own, plus the injury issue. is he a significantly better player than lowry, who got the same deal? does he play better defense?

[Cap]

Unless he's seriously considering playing for the QO, which I doubt, the Oct 1 deadline is meaningless.

The QO is a formality. If a one-year contract is what he wants, I'm sure the Suns would be willing to pay him a fair salary (~$11M) for that one year. Obviously the Suns would prefer to have him locked up for longer, and if Bledsoe is wise he'll choose the security of a longer contract, but I don't think the Suns will play hardball and try to coerce him to sign the longer contract by not offering him a fair salary in a short one.

Why would the Suns do that? $8M so there are no hurt feelings?

If push came to shove, Bledsoe could get an offer sheet from another team and force the Suns to match. Well, maybe not $11M at this point, but a lot more than the QO, and with other player-favoring terms, such as a PO for a second year. Playing hardball would provoke a hardball response and save the Suns little if any money. So yeah, I'd rather skip that process and spare the hurt feelings.

[SDC]

i'm surprised that the suns are still offering bleds 4 /48 after drafting ennis and signing a starter quality PG in isiah thomas.

[The Bobster]

If push came to shove, Bledsoe could get an offer sheet from another team and force the Suns to match. Well, maybe not $11M at this point, but a lot more than the QO, and with other player-favoring terms, such as a PO for a second year. Playing hardball would provoke a hardball response and save the Suns little if any money. So yeah, I'd rather skip that process and spare the hurt feelings.

An offer sheet has to be for three years, not including option years if a team has extended a maximum qualifying offer. So if he wanted to sign a 3-year, $25-30 million offer sheet somewhere (for example), I'm sure the Suns would be giddy to match it.

[Mori Chu]

I kind of wish the Suns would just say to Eric, "This is our final offer. 4/48. You have 48 hours to accept or reject. If you don't take it, we won't make you any other offers and you'll have to play out the QO." I'm sure he'd blink.

[The Bobster]

I kind of wish the Suns would just say to Eric, "This is our final offer. 4/48. You have 48 hours to accept or reject. If you don't take it, we won't make you any other offers and you'll have to play out the QO." I'm sure he'd blink.

There's not really any reason to have to have him signed right now - once training camp gets close to opening there will be some real pressure to get a deal done. The October 1 deadline for the qualifying offer pretty much guarantees something will happen by then.

[Superbone]

I kind of wish the Suns would just say to Eric, "This is our final offer. 4/48. You have 48 hours to accept or reject. If you don't take it, we won't make you any other offers and you'll have to play out the QO." I'm sure he'd blink.

There's not really any reason to have to have him signed right now - once training camp gets close to opening there will be some real pressure to get a deal done. The October 1 deadline for the qualifying offer pretty much guarantees something will happen by then.

So, only two more months of this. Yea!

[Bruiser]

Gambo writes an open letter to Bledsoe: http://arizonasports.com/41/1755048/An- ... ic-Bledsoe

Oh my shitness!
Wake up, Eric!

[Bruiser]

I hope there is no deal with the Lakers. I would still prefer to have Eric Bledsoe the player above all other options. That is why this is so frustrating.

I'd much rather have Julius Randle.

I am afraid I feel the same ...

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /13364025/

[MightyMoog]

A Randle + Warren 3,4 combo could be deadly in a few years. I'd rather shoot for that.

[iLLmatic]

This is a whole lot of fuss for a guy who has never started an entire season and has only played 43 games as a Sun.

In addition to us already having a cheaper replacement.

[Superbone]

Owner Robert Sarver: Phoenix #Suns not trying to lowball RFA Eric Bledsoe



http://arizonasports.com/41/1755373/Sar ... ic-Bledsoe

Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver made an impromptu call into the Burns & Gambo show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Friday evening to clear some of the air about the team's relationship with restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe.

Phoenix reportedly offered the combo guard a four-year, $48 million deal in the middle of July, while the four-year pro apparently was looking for a maximum offer of five years and $80 million.

Sarver was asked Friday if he thought Phoenix's initial offer was fair.

"We think it's a fair offer. I think you could argue, you know, I mean some would say it's maybe a little high; some would say it's low," the owner said. "What's fair is important to us, and also important to him -- him and his agent. It's not necessarily us to determine what he thinks is fair; it's him to determine that."

Sarver said he believes Bledsoe has talked with other teams, but as of Friday, the guard has yet to sign an offer sheet with anybody. Sarver added he doesn't know if another team has made an offer, but he knows for sure that Bledsoe hasn't signed anything yet.

Read more...

[DrSublime]

A Randle + Warren 3,4 combo could be deadly in a few years. I'd rather shoot for that.

exactly,

A lineup of Dragic, Goodwin, Warren, Randle and Len (assuming they all develop properly) would be tremendous, with Thomas, Tucker, Morrisx2, Plumlee, Ennis, Green, Bogdanovic and filler off the bench.
A much more well rounded team.

[Cap]

I love this dig from Sarver:

"We're a professional organization, and he's a professional player," he said. "And he's a high-character guy. And his agent (Rich Paul), whose main client LeBron (James), is the utmost competitor and professional."

[Mori Chu]

I love how Rich Paul is rightly being called out as an incompetent agent. I loved how Mark Jackson has signed up to be represented by him. Hmm, so, your main clients are your old buddy, and an unemployed former coach? WTG Rich.

[Superbone]

I love this dig from Sarver:

"We're a professional organization, and he's a professional player," he said. "And he's a high-character guy. And his agent (Rich Paul), whose main client LeBron (James), is the utmost competitor and professional."

I guess it's pretty well hidden. I don't see it. Is LeBron not his main client? Would Bledsoe argue that? Or are you saying that's where Paul put forth all his efforts?

[Cap]

It's insult by conspicuous omission of praise. Me and the other guys in my organization? We're professionals. Eric Bledsoe? He's a professional. Rich Paul? He's a... an agent, and his other client is a professional.

Although now that I re-read it, I notice the language is pretty awkward and I'm not sure whether he's trying to say Paul or LeBron is the utmost competitor and professional, or maybe even being intentionally ambiguous.