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10 NBA Teams That Should Trade For Eric Bledsoe

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 5, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Eric Bledsoe
Feb 3, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) controls the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings desperately need an upgrade at the point guard position, they’re trying in vain to sneak into the playoffs and DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe are still really good friends from their college days at Kentucky. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see why Sacramento would be interested.

The question is, would the Kings have the assets to appeal to the Suns?

If they’re willing to offer the misused Willie Cauley-Stein and their 2017 first round pick, the two sides could see eye-to-eye on a Bledsoe swap.

Arron Afflalo would be included to match salaries, but his $12.5 million contract for next season is non-guaranteed, so the Suns wouldn’t need to keep him beyond this season unless they wanted an additional locker room veteran around.

WCS has only recently cracked Dave Joerger’s rotation, averaging a meager 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 12.4 minutes per game on the season. But he’s still only 23 years old, in his second season, and has Defensive Player of the Year potential.

In Phoenix, he could either supplant Alex Len in the lineup or replace him outright depending on what unfolds with Len’s restricted free agency. WCS would give the Suns a young defensive anchor at center who’s on the same development timeline as Booker, Chriss and Bender.

Though the Kings are still chasing a playoff spot, and Bledsoe would make them better to make Sacramento’s first-rounder less valuable, they could very well finish in the lottery, giving Phoenix another valuable first-rounder to add more youth to the roster.

However, the Kings may not want to sacrifice all of that for Bledsoe, and as attractive as that trade package might seem, an unproven player who struggles to earn minutes in Sacramento might not be the most stable foundation for a deal involving such a prominent point guard.