The Phoenix Suns are offering Eric Bledsoe a four-year, $48 million deal. However, he is seeking a maximum contract of five-years, $80 million instead, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN. Both sides are far apart from agreeing to a new deal.
The Suns are determined to bring Bledsoe back, but they seem hesitant to offer him a maximum contract. Phoenix signed Isaiah Thomas earlier in the off-season, hoping that he would play off the bench as a backup for Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.
The Suns are losing their grip on Bledsoe, though. The Milwaukee Bucks are a team that have interest and enough cap space to pry Bledsoe away from Phoenix. The Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets may also join in on the Bledsoe sweepstakes.
Bledsoe, 24, had a breakthrough year last season as he averaged career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He has tremendous upside and potential to be a star in this league.
The Suns would like to continue to negotiate with Bledsoe, but this situation is similar to Lance Stephenson’s situation with the Indiana Pacers, meaning the Suns are getting dangerously close to losing Bledsoe if they do not give him what he wants.
It’s expected of Bledsoe to seek a maximum deal as he has seen Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons both receive $15 million annually. Both those players set the bar for Bledsoe.
The 2014 off-season has had plenty of twists and turns, and it would not be surprising if Eric Bledsoe signs elsewhere with a team no one would expect. At the end of the day, the NBA is a business, so the Phoenix Suns need to up their stakes if they really want to retain Bledsoe.