Eric Bledsoe is the lone soldier from the Phoenix Suns failed three point guard experiment last season. They shipped Isaiah Thomas off to the Boston Celtics, just a few months after they acquired him, and they also traded away the former future of the franchise, Goran Dragic, to the Miami Heat at the trade deadline.
Now Bledsoe is nestled in the Suns backcourt alongside newly acquired point guard Brandon Knight. Knight plays a similar score-first style as Bledsoe so at time last season their styles clashed. We didn’t get a huge sample size for what Bledsoe and Knight could do together due to Brandon’s series of injuries.
Some believe the stock on Knight is very high within the Suns organization, so that could mean the max contract Bledsoe signed not too long ago could be moved for more compatible talent. Maybe some talent that has yet to touch an NBA court.
Following from Chad Ford’s ‘ESPN Chat’.
Noah (L.A.)
Sounds like the Suns like Knight more than Bledsoe. Any way they could use him and 13 to swap picks with the Knicks?
Chad Ford (1:28 PM)
I definitely think that could be an option. That’s the sort of deal the Knicks would look at. But for cap reasons, would have to happen after the draft.
The Knicks are completely confusing and can do anything at this point. Ford also said that the Knicks are looking to pick somewhere from the later than where they are. They don’t want to dump the pick but they seem to want a bang for their buck at 4. Bledsoe coming in plus the 13th pick could be quite the bang for Phil Jackson and the Knicks.
If the Suns would do this deal, that could mean they select a guy like Emmanuel Mudiay or Justise Winslow to play as an offguard compliment to Brandon Knight. The Suns have front court depth, so picking a guy like Kristaps Porzingis or Willie Cauley-Stein wouldn’t make sense for them. It also frees up a lot of cap and allows them to get ready for Brandon Knight being a restricted free agent.
This is essentially just a hear-say based rumor by Ford. There’s nothing confirmed nor denied but it is interesting to note that the Knicks have their top 3 guys and if none of them go to New York, there could be a lot of movement.
