Eric Bledsoe wants out of Phoenix. For the sake of the Suns' collection of impressionable youth, the organization is going to have to make a trade sooner or later.
Here are three possible landing spots that actually make sense for both teams:
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have been perhaps Bledsoe's most logical landing spot for some time. The team is thriving thanks to the singular force that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their backcourt is wanting for playmaking, and Antetokounmpo's 36 percent usage rate probably isn't sustainable. Bledsoe's 3-point shooting has oscillated from season to season, but few point guards are faster with the ball and more adept at getting to the rim. He and Antetokounmpo could wreak havoc in the open floor. If he decides to start trying on defense again, he could help shore up a Bucks unit that's ranked 19th and 23rd the past two seasons.
Still, pulling off a deal would be tricky. It's unclear if there's any truth to the report that the Bucks offered Thon Maker, Greg Monroe, and a protected pick for Bledsoe, but that would be a steep price to pay. They'd be patching their backcourt hole by creating another one in the frontcourt, and would be left with John Henson as the lone true big man on the roster. The Bucks don't have many other pieces that would be both palatable to trade and attractive to the Suns. Would the Bucks consider offering reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon? Would Phoenix settle for a less tantalizing piece like Tony Snell as the centerpiece of a trade? We may soon find out. - Wolfond
New York Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 25.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and the Knicks remain winless. The team's big offseason addition, Tim Hardaway Jr., is scoring 9.3 points per game on 24.3 percent shooting - but can you blame him? His backcourt partners Ramon Sessions and Ron Baker pose little threat on offense. Slot Bledsoe into the starting lineup and you've got an athletic scorer who will open up the perimeter for Hardaway and Porzingis as well as a defensive bulldog who will slow down the opposition at the point of attack.
It would cost the Knicks some young assets - like Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez - but they'd also be able to dump the $36.8 million left on Courtney Lee's contract through 2020 in order to match Bledsoe's salary. Trading Ntilikina just eight minutes into his pro career would be bold, but the choice to draft the Frenchman was made under Phil Jackson's regime. The Knicks would acquire a player who maximizes their current core while shedding a relatively cumbersome contract. The Suns, meanwhile, would add more promising young assets to their war chest that already includes Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and Marquese Chriss. - Potter
Denver Nuggets
Another rising team that's starved for steady point-guard play, the forward-rich Nuggets are the team best equipped to put together a trade package for Bledsoe. There aren't enough frontcourt minutes to go around in Denver, but there are scads of young (or youngish) big-man trade candidates, from Juancho Hernangomez (who's currently out with mono, but who showed great promise as a rookie) to Kenneth Faried to Trey Lyles to Tyler Lydon.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Mudiay hasn't developed the way the team hoped, and Jamal Murray has struggled badly since being tapped as Denver's starting point guard. It hasn't impacted the Nuggets the way it would other teams because they're able to run their offense through their sweet-passing bigs, but having Bledsoe dart around off the ball and attack off the catch would make their already-potent offense that much more dangerous. Bledsoe is also capable of defending far better than Mudiay or Murray, and for a team that finished 29th in points allowed per possession last year, that could make a big difference. - Wolfond
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
