The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2017-18 NBA season with a completely retooled roster in comparison to last season. They were dominated in the NBA Finals last season by the Golden State Warriors, and it became apparent that changes needed to be made. The Cavs ended up trading Kyrie Irving this past summer, but they also acquired Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Isaiah Thomas among others. This week, we've come to know that the Cavaliers were also close to acquiring another great player - Eric Bledsoe, from the Phoenix Suns.
What if Bledsoe teamed up with LeBron?
Bledsoe joined the Suns in 2013 and last season he played 66 games for Phoenix averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 assists per game. Soon after the 2017-18 season started, Bledsoe expressed his displeasure with the way the team performed. He went on to post on his Twitter account that he doesn't want to be in Phoenix which led to him being traded soon afterward. The Suns traded Bledsoe earlier this week to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Greg Monroe and two 2018 draft picks.
But before Bledsoe was sent to Milwaukee, according to ESPN, there was a possibility he could end up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were among many teams interested in acquiring Eric Bledsoe and the friendship between LeBron James and Bledsoe was also an important factor.
Bledsoe and James are close friends off the court and we've come to know now that there was a strong chance those two would end up on the same team. Unfortunately for the Cavs and their fans, the 6-foot-1 dynamic point guard joined the Bucks which seem to be one of the main Cavs rivals in the Eastern Conference. ESPN Cleveland also revealed what the Suns were asking for from Cleveland in exchange for Eric Bledsoe.
Should the Cavs have accepted the deal?
According to Brian Windhorst from ESPN, the Phoenix Suns wanted Brooklyn's 2018 first round draft pick from the Cavs when talking Eric Bledsoe trade. It seems that the Cavaliers thought the Suns asked for too much so they decided to decline the deal. But should they have accepted it?
Windhorst: When the #Cavs talked to the Suns, they wanted the Brooklyn pick. I don't think their talks got too serious.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) 7. studenoga 2017.
Surely, the Brooklyn pick will be at least a top-five pick next year and the Cavs see this as an opportunity to build for the future.
But with Eric Bledsoe on the team, they would've narrowed the gap between themselves and the Golden State Warriors dramatically. A team with Isaiah Thomas, Eric Bledsoe, LeBron James and Kevin Love on the roster would've surely been the biggest threat to the Warriors in a potential NBA Finals matchup.
