The Phoenix Suns would certainly prefer to trade Brandon Knight, but it’s hard to envision much of a market for the defensively deficient combo scoring guard currently mired in the longest shooting slump of his career. Bledsoe, on the other hand, is a bruising, blazing-fast force who is rebounding and getting to the free-throw line at career-best rates. He’s also scoring at the second-best rate of his career, despite a low 3-point percentage that should stabilize with time and/or better teammates.
His defense has slipped, which is likely the result of some combination of losing-induced apathy and knee-surgery fallout. In any event, his clean bill of health through the first quarter of this season may assuage fears about his ability to stay on the floor.
The Suns are building for the future, and Bledsoe will be a free agent before they’re ready to even sniff contention. He’s not a foundational superstar you can build around, and he’s about to turn 27, putting him on a different timeline than the Suns’ 19-year-old core of Devin Booker, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss.
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