Phx-Suns.Net

INFORMER wrote: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 wrote: 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.

Shabazz wrote:

Cap wrote: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?

Cap wrote: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.

Mori Chu wrote: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 wrote:

Mori Chu wrote: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.

In2ition wrote:Gambo writes an open letter to Bledsoe: http://arizonasports.com/41/1755048/An- ... ic-Bledsoe

DrSublime wrote:

JCSunsfan wrote: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.

INFORMER wrote: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.

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...

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

"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."

Cap wrote: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."