A Followup Free Agency Letter To Eric Bledsoe

The Phoenix Suns had the best season of any team to miss the playoffs last year, winning 48 games in the loaded Western Conference. Despite the fact that Eric Bledsoe only played 43 games, the Suns missed the postseason by one game. Now, restricted free agent Bledsoe wants a max deal the Suns aren’t willing to give. With both sides far apart on reaching a deal, here’s one fan’s (followup) impassioned plea to Bledsoe to stay in Phoenix.

Dear Eric,

This is Gerald Bourguet again. Did you get my last letter? I sent it at the beginning of the summer, but I never heard back. And seeing as how you and the Suns are so far apart in re-signing this offseason, I feel like now is a good time to reach out again and remind you why staying in the Phoenix is your best option.

I know that according to reports, your relationship with the Suns is in a bad place, but I’m hoping you won’t make me feel as ignored as Eminem’s “Stan” and hear me out on this one.

I’ll get the tough love out of the way right now, Eric: You’re not worth the four-year, $80 million max deal you’re holding out for. I’m more excited than anyone about your potential and how well you mesh with your buddy Goran Dragic in the backcourt, but let’s look at the facts. You averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, sure, but you also barely played half the season.

The flashes of brilliance you showed us in the 43 games you played was enough to prompt the Suns to extend you a four-year, $48 million deal, which is more than generous for a guy coming off his second knee surgery in the last three years. It’s not that the Suns don’t value you; it’s that they have justifiable concerns about your health.

More from Phoenix Suns

• 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
• Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
• 5 NBA players facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons
• Report: Phoenix is considering signing two former lottery picks
• Phoenix’s questionable Deandre Ayton strategy is worth the risk

Phoenix has the upper hand in this restricted free agency process. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have the cap space to sign you to the max deal you’re looking for, and they’re in the middle of Sam Hinkie’s 35-year rebuilding plan, so that isn’t happening. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks were interested in you, but they never made an offer either. All signs point to a return to Phoenix.

What kind of return that will be is entirely up to you. I understand that taking less money than you think you’re worth seems wrong in principle, but if nobody else is interested and you’ve got a guaranteed $12 million per year offer on the table, doesn’t it make sense to take it? You’d get your chance to prove you can stay healthy AND you’d get to start for a playoff team with the league’s deepest backcourt.

The fact of the matter is the Suns don’t need you. After the Isaiah Thomas highway robbery sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix has your potential replacement on hand for an agreeable four years and $27 million. But the Suns want you and are more than willing to take a chance on your potential, even with your injury history, to keep you on this up-and-coming contender. Why let this free agency saga continue to play out this way?

I’ll admit this decision would be a lot easier if the LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love pipe dreams had come to fruition, but the only teams willing to pay your price are bottom-of-the-barrel teams. You’ve only played for competitive teams your entire career. Would you really be happy in Milwaukee? Would you really enjoy watching your prime waste away in Philly?

You can choose to take the Suns’ qualifying offer and be vastly underpaid at $3.7 million next season. You’d be a restricted free agent next summer and Phoenix couldn’t trade you without your permission. But what happens if you don’t have another great season next year? What happens if you have another injury setback? Considering your recent injury history, it’s not unfair to ask these questions.

My proposal? Agree to a compromise between the deal you want and the deal the Suns are offering. The gap between $48 million and $80 million leaves a lot of wiggle room and the Suns want you in Phoenix long-term. Or, an even smarter decision would be working out a two-year deal worth more than $12 million per year. Not only would the Suns be okay with paying a little extra to avoid risking a lengthier deal, but you would also have the opportunity to restructure your contract right when the salary cap rises and the NBA’s new TV deal kicks in.

If you emerged as the potential star we both think you’ll be in the next two years, the Suns will be a playoff team, your relationship with the front office will improve and at that point, it can continue with mutual benefits. If you have another injury setback, you’ll still make a ton of money over the next two years and have a chance at another deal – either with the Suns or someone else – in just two years. It’s a win-win.

I’m sure all the attention Dragic got last season probably plays into this. This was supposed to be your breakout season, and although it still was to some degree, you have the most potential of anyone on this roster and injuries held that potential back. But you also still have the opportunity to make respectable money and play on one of the funnest teams in the entire league.

Staying in Phoenix is your best and most likely option. But if you ever want to be the face of a franchise, it’d be a good idea to show a little loyalty to the team that took a chance on you and is willing to dish out $48 million when you only played half the season last year.

The Suns of Anarchy wouldn’t be the same without you, and if you were looking for that perfect starting situation in the NBA, you’ve already found it in the Phoenix Suns. All it takes is the same kind of sacrifice Isaiah Thomas was willing to make. But unlike Thomas, you cold be the face of this franchise one day. If you really want to take your game to the next level, it starts in Phoenix.

Sincerely,

Gerald Bourguet
Hoops Habit Assistant (to the regional) Editor & Phoenix Suns Savant