After months of rumors and conjecture otherwise, Eric Bledsoe will remain with the Phoenix Suns for the long-haul after all. According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, Bledsoe has reached an agreement on a five-year, $70 million contract with the Suns.
Restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe has reached agreement with the Suns on a 5-year, $70M extension, league source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 24, 2014
It was reported earlier today that the sides had re-opened contract negotiations in the wake of a summer fraught with tension. After Bledsoe failed to receive the max-level offer from another team he so publicly sought, Phoenix wouldn’t budge from a four-year, $48 million deal that his camp considered a slap in the face. At one point this summer, it was considered that Bledsoe’s relationship with the Suns had been irreparably damaged; at another, team owner Robert Sarver said his front office hadn’t spoken with Bledsoe in months.
But that’s all in the past now. Bledsoe was awarded a contract befitting his status as an up-and-coming yet still unproven star, and Phoenix finally opened its checkbook while still locking the dynamic guard into a deal that could prove cheap in a couple years assuming Bledsoe improves and the salary cap spikes. Win-win, and we’re finally onto basketball.
Let’s hope the Suns do a better job negotiating with Goran Dragic next summer.
Is this a good deal for both sides?
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