Eric Bledsoe rumors: Suns’ guard prepared to sign qualifying offer

By Andrew Melnick | Sep 3, 2014

Apr 12, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) brings the ball up court during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The Phoenix Suns made a shrewd move last year, getting involved in the deal that sent guard J.J. Redick from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Clippers in a sign-and-trade. The Suns gave up a couple of picks to get a deal done and acquired Clippers’ guard Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers hoped to pair Bledsoe with guard Goran Dragić to create a dynamic back court. Things worked out very well for the Suns when Bledsoe was healthy – they finished 48-34 and narrowly missed out on the postseason. Bledsoe, however, was limited to 43 games.

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Now Bledsoe is a restricted free agent and the two sides cannot come to an agreement. Bledsoe may now choose to sign the Suns’ qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in a year and Marc Stein of ESPN.com believes Bledsoe is prepared to sign the qualifying offer.

"My sense is that Bledsoe and Paul are indeed prepared to take the qualifying offer despite the rarity of the strategy. And you can’t help but wonder, in the Suns’ case, what sort of season awaits the NBA’s plucky darlings of 2013-14 if that’s how it plays out."

If Bledsoe does sign the offer, it could be a long year for both parties.

Bledsoe averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 47.7% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc and 77.2% from the free throw line last season. Bledsoe, who was the 18th-overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder (he was immediately dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers) has put up 8.7 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.5% from the floor, 32.7% from three and 75.9% from the charity stripe.

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