If the Phoenix Suns do decide to trade restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe, at least two teams won't be in contention: the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers. Both teams reportedly are uninterested in acquiring the point guard, who remains at odds with Phoenix over a new contract.
While Phoenix purportedly is now considering a sign-and-trade involving Bledsoe, two teams once believed to be interested in the 24-year-old reportedly no longer want to deal for him. Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com reported Tuesday and Wednesday neither Philadelphia nor Indiana would be pursuing Bledsoe.
Regarding Philadelphia:
"Zero reason for them to pay out a $15 million salary. Bledsoe isn't part of their plan. Just because you have cash does not mean you should spend it because there is a guy there. You save that money and spend it on the right guy, and Bledsoe is not the right guy for the 76ers."
Regarding Indiana:
"Nothing new on that front. Was some talk, but seemed just talk."
As Kyler and a number of others point out, no team thinks Bledsoe is worth the max contract he's purportedly demanding from Phoenix. No teams have made him an offer, and the likely scenario appears to be Bledsoe signing his qualifying offer, playing out the season and then becoming a free agent next summer.
If he does hit the market in July as an unrestricted free agent, he's likely to have more suitors. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets are expected to make a run at him next summer, but it's unlikely either team would offer him anything close to the $80 million ballpark figure Bledsoe supposedly wants.
