Eric Bledsoe Reportedly Traded to Bucks: Quick Timeline of PG's Exit from Suns
It wasn't long ago when a backcourt featuring Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis inspired confidence in the Phoenix Suns' future, but ensuing drama and Tuesday's reported trade put an end to that vision.
On Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN reported the Suns were "finalizing" a trade that would ship Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for big man Greg Monroe and a first-round pick.
The writing was long on the wall for Bledsoe's Phoenix exit, especially after he sent his infamous tweet on Oct. 22 saying, "I don't wanna be here."
That wasn't the only drama surrounding the guard before the Suns ultimately put an end to it and moved him. Here is a timeline of the recent Bledsoe stories leading up to this trade.
- Oct. 9: Lowe reported Phoenix "will surely listen if and when suitors call for Eric Bledsoe."
- Oct. 22: The tweet:
- Oct. 23: Suns general manager Ryan McDonough revealed Bledsoe said the aforementioned tweet was in reference to not wanting to be in a hair salon, per ABC15 Sports in Phoenix. "I didn't believe that to be true," McDonough said. "He won't be with us going forward."
- Oct. 23: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported Bledsoe actually met with the Suns before the 2017-18 season started and expressed his interest in being traded, suggesting the guard's desire to go elsewhere was not brought about by the firing of head coach Earl Watson.
- Oct. 23: Chris Haynes of ESPN reported the Suns sent Bledsoe home after meeting with him before shootaround prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings.
- Oct. 23: Wojnarowski reported "several" teams are talking with the Suns about a potential Bledsoe trade, while Ian Begley of ESPN noted the New York Knicks reached out.
- Oct. 24: Leverage was clearly becoming an issue, as Wojnarowski reported Bledsoe's trade value was decreasing and teams weren't looking to trade "a young player with significant talent" for him.
- Oct. 25: McDonough suggested Bledsoe was receiving poor advice from his agent Rich Paul in an interview with Arizona Sports Radio 98.7 (h/t Haynes):
"I think, just my opinion, the shift comes from contractual demands made by his representatives, and that's what I was referring to when I said I think he got bad advice. ... [Eric's] a talented player and a good player, but like I said, I think he's just being a little bit misguided at the moment with some of the advice he's getting."
- Oct. 26: Gery Woelfel reported the Suns were interested in reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon as part of a potential trade for Bledsoe.
- Nov. 7: The reported trade, in which Brogdon was not involved.
Attention now turns to Bledsoe's place on the Bucks as they look to compete for a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference and potentially challenge LeBron James and the three-time defending conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bledsoe averaged 21.1 points per game last season for Phoenix and can provide important scoring help for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Opposing defenses that focus too much attention on the dominant Antetokounmpo run the risk of letting Bledsoe attack openings and the lane as a potential high-volume scorer.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed to the boost Bledsoe should provide the rest of the season:
While the Kentucky product's exit from the Suns was messy, he now finds himself in an ideal situation on a team that should realistically contend for a deep playoff run. An impressive showing in the postseason would go a long way toward putting the Phoenix drama behind him.
