NBA Trade Rumors: Suns and Nuggets talking Eric Bledsoe deal

The Suns and Nuggets are reportedly working on a trade that would send Eric Bledsoe to Denver and Emmanuel Mudiay to Phoenix.

The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets have reportedly engaged in trade discussions regarding point guard Eric Bledsoe. This report comes just one day after what was a tumultuous Sunday for the Phoenix, who fired head coach Earl Watson and saw Bledsoe send out what has been perceived as a tweet expressing his discontent with the state of the organization.

The Suns are off to an 0-3 start and are allowing the most points per game in the league at this early stage of the season. In a rebuilding phase, Phoenix seems to be looking to move on from the veteran point guard.

According to Basketball Insiders Senior NBA Writer Michael Scotto, Phoenix and Denver are discussing a deal that would include Bledsoe, Emmanuel Mudiay and other pieces:

This trade partnership seems to make a lot of sense. Denver looks poised to make a run at a playoff spot in the Western Conference after signing forward Paul Millsap in the offseason, but they lack a quality point guard in a league that is full of them. Bledsoe would appear to strengthen the Nuggets’ chances at securing one of the top eight spots in the conference ranks.

Phoenix has little use for Bledsoe, a player that will turn 28 in December. The organization is focused on their youth movement, as they’ve stockpiled young talents like Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender over the last few years.

Mudiay, 21, would fit into the Suns’ plan from a timeline perspective much better than Bledsoe. The point guard was a top prospect coming out of high school before foregoing college to play in China for a year. Denver selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, though he’s proven wildly inefficient through his first two NBA seasons. Still, there is a lot of talent there, and it could be worth it for Phoenix to roll the dice.

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At least one more player would have to be included by Denver to make the salaries work for a trade. Either Kenneth Faried or Wilson Chandler would each make the financials square on their inclusion alone, but it’s possible the deal could include multiple Nuggets in addition to Mudiay. A young player with upside like Malik Beasley could be on Phoenix’s radar.