5 potential trade destinations for Eric Bledsoe
By Joe Romano
LAC gets: Eric Blesdoe
PHX gets: Austin Rivers and a pick
This trade will really test how far away from the Clippers front office Doc Rivers is. The only way for salaries to match between Phoenix and Los Angeles is to ship Rivers’ son Austin to the Suns.
The Clippers got some depth with the trade that sent Chris Paul to Houston but have little assets that would intrigue the young Suns.
Austin Rivers is a good player and could aid the Suns in the near future. He would pair with Devin Booker or play with Booker and Tyler Ulis in three-guard lineups. He is good but not good enough to kill Phoenix’s ultimate goal of getting another high lottery pick. With only two years remaining on his deal he’d be a stop gap for whatever point guard they grabbed in the draft.
The Clippers get to reunite with Bledsoe who they drafted out of Kentucky. Bledsoe spend the first two years of his career as Chris Paul’s backup in Los Angeles. Clippers’ center DeAndre Jordan is already talking about a reunion on Twitter.
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With rookie point guard Milo Teodosic out indefinitely, Bledsoe would fill in at starting point guard. Paired with incumbent Patrick Beverley, they’d make up the most unique and defensive-minded backcourt in the league.
Again this comes down to Los Angeles’ desire to part with Rivers and Phoenix grabbing a pick for compensation. The salaries work but the talent level may not.