Report: Eric Bledsoe's agent holding firm on max contract, stalemate continues
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Eric Bledsoe is now the only remaining restricted free agent on the market after Greg Monroe reportedly signed a one-year qualifying offer on Friday.
With the season fast approaching, Bledsoe's situation in Phoenix remains unchanged, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Suns' Bledsoe remains final RFA on market. Agent has held firm on max contract or no deal. He couldn't get Bledsoe an offer sheet elsewhere.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
Suns made 4-year, $48M offer -- comparable to Ty Lawson and Kyle Lowry -- but Bledsoe camp has been unwilling to negotiate off that number.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
It was reported earlier in the free-agent process that Bledsoe's camp turned down that same four-year, $48-million offer, but it's surprising to see his team still holding firm.
His only leverage is signing his one-year, $3.73-million qualifying offer, but that seems like a riskier proposition for Bledsoe than it was for Monroe. Bledsoe has dealt with injuries in the past and the market for his services may not bear max-contract fruit next summer with plenty of talented points guards floating around the league.
Maybe LeBron James' suggestion on Instagram that the Suns "break bread" for Bledsoe will have an impact. But it's far more likely that Bledsoe will eventually agree to a deal below the max, or sign his qualifying offer and try again next summer.