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Phoenix Suns Continue To Cut Off Nose To Spite Face

By Michael Dunlap

True to the photo, it's been tough for Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas to all receive adequate touches. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
True to the photo, it's been tough for Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas to all receive adequate touches. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Phoenix Suns just can’t leave well enough alone. After the abomination that was the Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas unloading last season, the Suns are now rumored to be offering up stud point guard Eric Bledsoe to the New York Knicks in a package involving the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

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According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Bledsoe is being dangled by Suns management and they’ll keep pursuing a trade if they can’t get the Knicks to budge on the No. 4 pick.

The 6-foot-1 Bledsoe was officially handed the reins after Dragic and Thomas were dealt during the 2014-15 season and all he did was average 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.3 steals over a 28 game stretch. The fact that the Suns went 10-18 during that time tarnishes those numbers to an extent, but we can’t overlook the fact that Brandon Knight wasn’t healthy and guys like Seth Curry and Jerel McNeal saw time at the point.

It’s no secret that I feel Bledsoe is at a major fork in the road in his career and my opinion of his game led me to ask why Bledsoe isn’t considered elite. He’s tough, he’s emerging as a leader and he’s only 25 years old. In basketball terms, he’s even younger — he’s only played 8,074 career minutes. For some reference, Russell Westbrook had played 13,520 minutes in his first five seasons. John Wall (taken in the same draft) has played 12,411.

Phoenix needs athleticism at the point and they need a leader. Admittedly, Bledsoe hasn’t been the kind of vocal leader the team needs, but he’s been working on that and went so far as to stay in Phoenix this offseason to work with rookies and stay closer to the team.

Let’s assume the Suns pull the trigger on a deal for the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft (they’d reportedly send the No. 13 pick in the deal as well). That would almost certainly mean that Knight would be remaining in Phoenix at any cost and the Suns would likely get Kristaps Porzingis, Emmanuel Mudiay or Mario Hezonja. Your 2015-16 Suns lineup would look like this:

PG — Brandon Knight
SG — P.J. Tucker
SF — Danny Granger
PF — Markieff Morris
C — Alex Len

The bench would consist of Archie Goodwin, Marcus Morris, T.J. Warren, the No. 4 pick and whomever the Suns could lure in free agency. That team is not any better than the Bledsoe-led squad by any means.

In the end, the Suns are concerned about Bledsoe’s ability to lead. Trading him for more youth doesn’t help that. Granger is known as a great locker room guy and could teach Bledsoe a lot if given the chance.

These are just rumors at this stage, but this tweet sums up my feelings:

I just don’t get it. The Suns panicked at the 2015 trade deadline and their panicking again. They’re cutting off their nose to spite their face and the only place it’s going to get them is back in the lottery again.

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