Eric Bledsoe, Lakers Possible Destination through Trade?
By Mike Garcia
The Lakers are always in search of improvement. Just when things are settling down from the off-season, a blip about Eric Bledsoe appears on twitter.
A lot of logistics have to be sorted for a trade to work out for the Lakers. Who is tradeable? What contracts can actually be traded? What does Phoenix want back in return?
One idea may be to place Steve Nash back in a place to where he succeeded the most, with the Phoenix Suns. Even with his $8 million dollar contract, the Lakers would need to find at least another $5 million or so to match the contract demands for Eric Bledsoe. Purely based on speculation, the Phoenix Suns may be interested in Jordan Hill. His $9 million dollar contract would be tough to swallow, but it only lasts for two years. It also sends Jordan Hill back to his college playing days, near the University of Arizona.
If the trade is Steve Nash and Jordan Hill for Eric Bledsoe, the Lakers financial plans for cap space change drastically. The current roster allows the Lakers a slot for a max contract at the end of the 2015 season. Even if they sign a player to the max during the summer of 2015, a second max contract slot opens up at 2016. Eric Bledsoe would eliminate the first contract slot.
The trade also opens up cap flexibility in the short-term for the Phoenix Suns. They also fill in a team need with added depth at power forward for Jordan Hill.
Eric Bledsoe is a dynamic guard. He’s an elite level athlete, able to breakdown his defenders on quickness, speed, and ball-handling. He needs more consistency behind the arc, but that didn’t stop him from 35.7% behind the arc last season. During his last season as a Clipper, he shot 39.7% on half the number of attempts behind the arc.
The Lakers would have to fill in the center position with Robert Sacre, Carlos Boozer, and Ed Davis. It would also open up playing time for Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly.
Is Eric Bledsoe worth the money? Do you think the Lakers would pay the maximum for over four years to get him? Do you see Eric Bledsoe as a franchise player?
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