Eric Bledsoe finally got his wish on Tuesday, as he was finally traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Milwaukee Bucks. While he may now be looking forward to playing for his new team, what many do not know is he almost ended up with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead.
The Northeast Ohio team were apparently interested in acquiring the 27-year-old Kentucky product, and engaged the Suns in preliminary talks for a possible trade. However, it did not advance as Bledsoe’s former team wanted the pick they received from the Brooklyn Nets, which they believe was too much to ask, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Bledsoe is an eight year NBA veteran, who has suited up for the L.A. Clippers and spent the last four seasons with the Suns. Despite all the trade chatter that surrounded him last year, he still had his best campaign as a pro with career high averages of 21.1 points and 6.3 assists, to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 33.0 minutes per game. In this season though, he has only appeared in three games so far, and was not activated anymore since he made his infamous tweet letting everyone know he’s not happy where he is. He would’ve filled in for the Cavaliers, who are still waiting for Isaiah Thomas to recover from his hip injury, but his addition would’ve also caused a logjam in the team’s backcourt.
Now with the Bucks, Bledsoe will have a big opportunity to be part of an up-and-coming team. It’s no secret that his new squad has had a need for a point guard who can compliment the game of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and if he plays at a very high level again, he can prove that he is the missing link to their plans of making a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference, and also further establish himself as one of the better floor generals in the league today.
