kanetrain33 wrote:ShawnBronald wrote:DragonBladeSuns wrote:Bledsoe could use his 3.7 mil qualifying offer than become a unrestricted free agent in the 2015/2016 off season and go to Miami...... He had that dinner right?
Yeah.... uh...... sure.
I don't see this happening. Bledsoe has been injury prone. One more knee injury this year and his value will plummet forever. He'd be rolling the dice in a big way and I don't see that happening.
On the radio today Hornacek said Bledsoe is out there looking for an offer. He also repeated that the Suns intend to match or come to terms before he signs with someone else. I think the market for Bledsoe is less than what he originally thought/wanted and that is why it is taking so long. Otherwise, he probably would have signed an offer sheet already or come to terms with the Suns.
The only way the Suns might not match an offer is if Bledsoe signs an untradeable, max, backloaded contract with someone else. But what team is going to do that? Those contracts are toxic and cost you money and assets to move down the road (Jeremy Lin or Omer Asik). Bledsoe is not a "sure thing" given his injuries and lack of experience. That's the rub with Bledsoe ... other teams likely worry that they could get stuck with an injury prone, inexperienced guard on a huge unmovable deal. That is the kiss of death in the NBA, especially for smaller franchises.
Summary: Other teams will want to be cautious and measured with their offers to EB. But if they are cautious, then the Suns can (and will) easily match any offer. Now that I have typed this out, I expect a max offer from the sixers in 3...2...1... ha ha.
You can't sign back loaded contract unless you consider a max contract with 4.5% raises back loaded. They could do something like Dallas did with Parsons by giving him an opt out and a big trade kicker, but I think we'd still match.
The point is, no one can give him the max but Philly, and I think they'd rather have the cap space and remain as terrible as possible for now.
On another note, here is a piece of Zach Lowe's new column on the Suns...nothing we don't know, but thought some might like to see his perspective of our moves.
Channing Frye was a crucial part of Phoenix’s go-go fun last season, but the Suns correctly concluded he’d be hard to move on a four-year, $32 million contract — especially given his age and health issues. Both Morris twins can play a rangy power forward, and P.J. Tucker can slide there in quicker lineups.
Paying Tucker more than $5 million per year over three seasons7 was a bit much, especially after declining to pay Frye a bit more; Tucker can’t dribble, he can really only shoot 3s from the corners, and he’s merely a good defender. But he’s the heart of the team, he can play multiple positions, and Tucker’s deal is easier to move than Frye’s.
Phoenix straight stole Isaiah Thomas on a four-year, $27 million contract, and it’s probably best to pump the brakes on the idea that they have too many point guards now — assuming they match any offer for Bledsoe. Phoenix starts two of them, which is unusual and requires elite depth at the position, and the Thomas signing gives them leverage navigating Bledsoe’s free agency now and Dragic’s next summer. Tyler Ennis, one of the team’s first-round draft picks, will likely spend a lot of time in the D-League.
All of these guys are trade chips, and the Suns still have their eye on Love — and any other prime star who might become available. The bottom line is that the Suns got a really good player at a really good price, and that’s a smart thing.
http://grantland.com/features/2014-nba- ... r-parsons/
