Eric Bledsoe was at the center of trade chatter on Sunday (Oct. 22) after posting a message on Twitter that seems to suggest his strong desire for a trade out of Phoenix. The former Kentucky standout hasn’t made any comment about his cryptic tweet, but several NBA insiders have already confirmed that Bledsoe is unhappy with his current situation with the Suns.

Arguably the best playmaker on the Suns’ roster, Bledsoe’s patience might have finally reached its limit after seeing his team’s rebuilding effort made little progress over the last three seasons.

To add injury to the insult, Phoenix just suffered the worst season-opening loss in NBA history after bowing to the Portland Trail Blazers, 124-76. After a tight contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Suns once again found themselves on the receiving end of a blowout, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers by 42 points, 130-88.

Impending Trade

Bledsoe’s “I don’t wanna be here” tweet has triggered a domino effect within the franchise over the last 48 hours, leading up to Earl Watson’s firing and Jay Triano’s promotion as interim coach on Sunday. ESPN’s Chris Haynes also reported that the Suns decided to send Bledsoe home after meeting with him during morning shoot-around ahead of Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

The Suns are apparently trying to address Bledsoe’s situation before it becomes a major distraction for the team. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN confirmed Monday morning that the Suns have now engaged with several teams, and a trade sending Bledsoe elsewhere is likely to happen this coming week.

More trade rumors

The San Antonio Spurs recently reached an agreement with LaMarcus Aldridge on a three-year, $72 million contract extension.

The deal will lock up the Aldridge through the 2021-22 season, giving head coach Gregg Popovich more time to work with Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.

While some NBA scribes thought the new deal killed any possibility of trading the under-performing Aldridge, Senior NBA writer Zach Lowe of ESPN had a different take on the extension.

He believed the Spurs now have better leverage in trading Aldridge because he’s no longer in a contract year and his next deal is much cheaper/team-friendly (only $7 million is guaranteed in the third year).

The Spurs are giving Aldridge a one-year window to regain his All-Star form following a disappointing 2016-17 NBA season campaign. And so far, the forward is putting in the work as he dropped 25 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves and 28 against the Chicago Bulls without Leonard.
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