Eric Bledsoe rumors: Rockets, Kings, Bucks interested
By Bryan Rose
The Phoenix Suns have adamantly suggested they will match any and all offers presented to restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe which has kept teams away through the first two weeks of NBA free agency. However, with reports suggesting that the Suns and Bledsoe are ‘far apart’ in contract talks, teams are beginning to smell blood in the water.
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The Suns will have the final say in where Eric Bledose lands this offseason, be it a return to the Valley of the Sun or moving on elsewhere given his restricted status. However, it sounds as if the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks wouldn’t mind if he came their way.
That’s the word from ESPN who says all three teams could have interest in the former Kentucky star.
"But the Suns’ completion of a sign-and-trade deal for Isaiah Thomas, along with the drafting of point guard Tyler Ennis, has potential suitors believing that Phoenix may move on from Bledsoe, league sources said.The Milwaukee Bucks have been mentioned as a team with interest in Bledsoe, and Sacramento and Houston, which recently traded away Jeremy Lin, could be in the market for a point guard."
The Bucks have been linked to Eric Bledsoe since the start of free agency, though that’s namely because they’re in need of a point guard and have money to spend. There hasn’t been any word from Bledsoe’s camp suggesting that interest is mutual.
As for the Kings, their interest seems odd considering they don’t have the necessary funds to sign Bledsoe outright. They could be open to trading a player like Ben McLemore, who would replace Bledsoe at the shooting guard position however the Kings would still need to clear salary to make such a move affordable.
The Houston Rockets meanwhile do have some young talent they could send back to the Suns if the two sides were to engaged in a sign-and-trade scenario, though Eric Bledsoe would obviously need to agree to his new team before any potential move was made.