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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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Nov 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) drives past Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) as Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) sets a block during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Amway Center. The Suns won 92-87. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Orlando Magic

Add the Orlando Magic to the Sacramento Kings on the list of playoff-desperate teams who probably don’t have enough talent to get there.

Nearly every player on Orlando’s roster has been mentioned in trade rumors recently, and no one’s certain if general manager Rob Hennigan is still fighting to keep his job with a return to the playoffs, or will be restructuring the roster for another rebuild.

To that end, there are several avenues the Suns could explore for a Bledsoe trade to bring in youth. If they could somehow swindle the Magic into including Aaron Gordon (with Jeff Green included to match salaries), that’d be a no-brainer.

Orlando fans are probably laughing right now (as they should be), since Gordon is the closest thing this roster has to an untouchable franchise cornerstone. But don’t forget, this is the same front office that traded Tobias Harris without getting anything of value in return, and it also dealt Victor Oladipo and a lottery pick for Serge Ibaka…only to place him on the trade block months later.

It’d be ill-advised to trade a guy who’s been averaging 11.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while largely playing out of position, but with the Magic, you can never rule anything out.

The Suns would get a versatile defender in the process, bolstering the 4-spot in addition to more unproven projects like Chriss and Bender. Gordon is only 21 years old and in addition to his high-flying athleticism, he possesses star potential if he’s played at his true position.

But if the Magic are smart and make Gordon off limits, one alternative would be replacing him with Elfrid Payton and a future first round pick.

It’s up in the air whether McDonough could talk the Magic into giving up this year’s first-rounder if Payton is included, but the Suns would get a new point guard — and more importantly, a defensively oriented one — to groom along with Ulis.

Payton is only 22 years old, averaging 12.5 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. His 27.5 percent shooting from deep is concerning, but he’s still young and is still shooting a career-high 45.5 percent from the field.

However, since the Suns might prefer to hand-pick their next point guard with their high pick in this year’s draft, another alternative would be Mario Hezonja as a backup to Booker, along with Orlando’s 2017 first round pick.

In this scenario, Hezonja’s raw nature and lack of minutes would give McDonough some leverage to ask for the Magic’s 2017 first-rounder, which would most likely be a lottery pick even with Bledsoe making Orlando better.

If the Magic are still desperate to get in the playoffs and believe Bledsoe could get them back in the hunt, they might be willing to part with a pick currently slated to be the seventh overall pick.

Another alternative proposed by ESPN’s Zach Lowe would be Nikola Vucevic, Mario Hezonja and Orlando’s 2017 first-rounder for Bledsoe and Alex Len.

Hezonja is only averaging 3.5 points in 10.0 minutes per game on appalling .346/.292/.765 shooting splits, but it’s far too soon to give up on this 21-year-old just because head coach Frank Vogel has tethered him to the bench. Give him opportunity and perhaps his reputation as a sharpshooter will eventually shine through.

Next: The Pros And Cons Of The Suns Trading For Boogie

Even if it didn’t, the 2017 first-rounder would more than make it worth the Suns’ while. However, if the Magic decide to attempt another rebuild rather than continue a failed pursuit for a playoff spot, Bledsoe would have no interest to them, especially at the cost of Gordon, Payton, Hezonja or a first round pick.