Never thought the Clipps would trade Bledsoe
Phoenix Suns: Ryan McDonough Hits Homerun with Eric Bledsoe Trade
By Michael Dunlap | Yahoo! Contributor Network
COMMENTARY | When Ryan McDonough took over as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns, most assumed it was just a matter of time before the first major changes occurred. July 2nd was that day, as the Suns hit a homerun by acquiring Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler from the Los Angeles Clippers.
The deal, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Spots, involved the Suns, Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns acquire Bledsoe and Butler while sending fan-favorite Jared Dudley to the Clippers and two second-round picks to the Bucks. The Bucks sent J.J. Redick to the Clippers to complete the trade.
The Suns needed more athleticism on the wing and in Bledsoe, they got their man. At 6'1" and 190lbs, Bledsoe is a burner on the wing who averaged 2.5 steals per-36 minutes in the 2012-13 season. The question will be if he starts next to Goran Dragic or if Dragic could be traded.
Butler brings a veteran presence to the team and is a valuable expiring contract that can be moved at the deadline. While he isn't close to the player that averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals in the 2007-08 season, he is a guy who fills a void at the small forward who can make open jumpshots.
The Suns struggled from the 3-point line in 2012-13, shooting just 33 percent, which was good for No. 28 in the NBA. Both Bledsoe at Butler can knock down the three, as they shot 39.7 and 38.8 percent, respectively.
Giving up a fan-favorite like Dudley is always tough to swallow, but when the team can acquire a potential star like Bledsoe, the decision becomes simple. At the very worst, the Suns turned a small asset in Dudley into a much larger one in Bledsoe and an expiring contract.
On the court, the Suns instantly become much better. Assuming the roster remains intact, they could pair Dragic, Bledsoe and Butler with Scola and Gortat to form a solid starting five. The bench would be highlighted by Markieff Morris, P.J. Tucker, Archie Goodwin and Alex Len.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek wanted to move to a more uptempo system with more athletes and that's what he's done. The Suns are in an advantageous position, with an abundance of assets to move in the form of Dragic, expiring contracts and draft picks The Suns hit a homerun on this one and you can be sure it won't be the last.