Eric Bledsoe [RFA]

[Bruiser]

I just thought that his RFA status is a big enough topic to demand its own thread. So here goes the hopefully drama-free (*1) discussion considering the question what to do with Eric Bledsoe and more importantly why.(**2)

btw: I wish I could have made this a poll but unfortunately I do not know how to do that or maybe the board software simply does not want me to. Whatever. I would have given you guys six options of which only five are actually really worth considering.(***3)

• A) Keep him at all costs and for five years.
  B) Keep him for four years even if it is pretty close to the max.
  C) Keep him only if it is for 48/4 or something very very close to that.
  D) Try to do a 2 or 3 year deal for something close to 12 per.
  E) Let him go and see/hope if you can manage a nice S&T.
  F) Let him walk for nothing. Either by not matching some offer sheet or by him going for the QO. (Even if this could actually happen, nobody would want that of course, right?)

So why would I pick E? (****4)
Injury issues, our depth at that position and his attitude. To me he just seems to be a little bit off compared to what I imagine our Coach and GM are looking for. I know this is all business and he should try to get as much as he can at this stage of his career. But you know what? I do not like it and I think it is not what, let's say Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki or Kawhi Leonard would do. I do not want him as the highest paid player on our roster because I want that somebody to be of very high character. Who am I to judge and from that far away, right? I don't know. It is just that in my eyes people like Goran, Curry or KD deserve the full max not only because they play that good but because to me they are role models and natural born leaders on and off the court. (*****5)

So why do I think C or D is still very okay if it happens?
He is really really good for and within our current system, a great 2-way player and a fine asset to have for that price if healthy. Plus, the new TV-Deal/Cap will make resigning players for cheap tougher for us either way, so he might become a really good contract somewhere down the road if he stays healthy.

(*1) can you please all stop? now, maybe? we have stuff to discuss!
(**2) as always, please excuse the bad grammar
(***3) I guess to certain extend it is a good thing that someone else can make a poll now with more and better options to pick from
(****4) McDo is a total hero in my eyes if he can somehow manage to make the Lakers give us Randle, a pick and some filler for him
(*****5) IMHO all the way of course, absoultely no offense intended

[Split T]

I'd go with c or e. No reason to offer him more than 4/48. If he can find a team that wants to pay him, I'd consider a sign and trade if we can get real assets for him

[Sunsfan4life]

Definitely the S&T route, but I would hope we can get a 1st and a good prospect out of it ala JJ for Diaw back in 2006.

4/48 I could stomach, anything over that no. I trust in mcdonaugh though...I think right now he holds all the power.

[Xylus]

I'm in the "Pay the Man!" camp. I'd prefer C, obviously, to keep the team's financial flexibility intact. But if another team comes along and offers him more money, I really hope the Suns match. The stats don't lie: The Suns were a much better team with Bledsoe next to Dragic. Had Bledsoe been healthy all year, there's no doubt in my mind we make the playoffs.

I know Bledsoe's health is a big cause for concern for many here, but he's an extremely talented player whose rights we hold in hand. Letting a guy like that go because we "aren't sure" about his durability, or because we don't want to pay him the few extra million per year, would be hard for me to swallow. We have a fairly large sample size that proves how successful we can be with a healthy Dragonblade. I'd like to see that success continue.

If we don't sign Bledsoe, if we let him walk or initiate a S&T, then it's extremely unlikely we make the playoffs next year. It's difficult to add high-profile free agents to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 5 years, so continuing this upward mobility is paramount, even if it's expensive to do so.

[Cap]

No way I give him $80M, and I don't think anyone will. 48/4 is more than fair. I might allow him to extract a little more than that if he gets an offer sheet from another team, but not by a lot. If he gets 60/4 from another team, which is very unlikely, I let him walk. Not sure where I draw the line; probably in the mid 50's.

[Xylus]

No way I give him $80M, and I don't think anyone will. 48/4 is more than fair. I might allow him to extract a little more than that if he gets an offer sheet from another team, but not by a lot. If he gets 60/4 from another team, which is very unlikely, I let him walk. Not sure where I draw the line; probably in the mid 50's.

I agree that $80 or more is absurd money for Bledsoe.

If someone offers Bled something in the $55-$60 range, I'm pulling out the wallet and the pen.

[Bruiser]

If we don't sign Bledsoe, if we let him walk or initiate a S&T, then it's extremely unlikely we make the playoffs next year. It's difficult to add high-profile free agents to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 5 years, so continuing this upward mobility is paramount, even if it's expensive to do so.

That is a good argument!

[Bruiser]

I do not like this article and I hope nobody in L.A. reads it

[Bruiser]

Definitely the S&T route, but I would hope we can get a 1st and a good prospect out of it ala JJ for Diaw back in 2006.

4/48 I could stomach, anything over that no. I trust in mcdonaugh though...I think right now he holds all the power.

I do agree. Especially the trusting McDonaugh part. I just hope it is not too obvious how he is thinking and planning all of this ahead. If we cannot find a S&T with L.A. who could be a suitable partner do deal with then?

[Sunsfan4life]

I like some of Milwaukee pieces. Henson is someone I may value more than others, but that would be a start. He lacks consistency, but has flashed. Larry Drew didn't use him right at all last yr, he barely played him some nights.

[Superbone]

[Cap]

SF4L, you need to update your sig. Some of those FAs are off the market.

'Bone: Ouch!

[Superbone]

'Bone: Ouch!

I saw it over at RealGM and got a laugh out of it.

[Bruiser]

'Bone: Ouch!

I saw it over at RealGM and got a laugh out of it.

That's actually very funny.

The not so cool part is, that there is a point where you as a player are really hurting your reputation quite a bit. It's not he decision but I still feel it's pretty bad already...

[Xylus]

[ Image ]

[Cap]

It's probably going to get worse. With his $80M demand becoming public after the Suns' $48M offer, accepting anything close to the original offer would look like a capitulation. For Bledsoe, it may be humiliating. For his agent, it would be perceived as a complete defeat that may impact his ability to attract clients. They have publicly dug in their heels, and that makes it tough to move.

[Superbone]

I think Rich Paul (Bledsoe's agent) is a pretty crappy agent. Sure, LeBron is easy. "Give him the max, idiots!" But he has to do some real agent work with Bledsoe and he doesn't seem to be up to the task.

[Ring_Wanted]

My peferences are:

keep him as cheap as possible. Otherwise:

1.- Sign and trade for something real. Randle, for instance. Nothing from Milwaukee comes anywhere close to that, in my opinion, with the exception of the Freak (I'd rather have him than Parker, btw)

2.- Keep him even at the 4 year max.

3.- Under n ocircumstance you give him 5/80. If it comes down to it, let him play for the QO.

[Mori Chu]

I think Rich Paul (Bledsoe's agent) is a pretty crappy agent. Sure, LeBron is easy. "Give him the max, idiots!" But he has to do some real agent work with Bledsoe and he doesn't seem to be up to the task.

I agree. Isn't Rich Paul just some childhood friend of Lebron's? Who would expect him to be a good agent? Does he have legal training or any background that would make him a good contract negotiator?

[Phoenix219]

I think that was Lebron's old agent. Pretty sure he got a new one since then.