Yahoo Sports reports that the Phoenix Suns and free agent point guard Eric Bledsoe are coming closer on a deal to keep the disgruntled restricted free agent in Phoenix.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough and Bledsoe's representatives with Klutch Sports have gathered momentum in discussions over the past two to three days, and Wednesday is expected to be crucial in the push for the sides to finalize a deal, league sources said.
Bledsoe failed to find a maximum contract offer on the restricted free-agency market, and his reps spent most of the summer unwilling to negotiate off the $12 million annual salary the Suns had offered in July.
Minnesota tried to engage the Suns in sign-and-trade talks for Bledsoe in the past week, but those never gained traction.
The Suns are believed to have pushed an initial four-year, $48 million offer into the $50 million range, sources said.
via Sources: Eric Bledsoe, Suns make progress in contract talks - Yahoo Sports.
Bledsoe has been threatening to go the same route as Greg Monroe and sign the qualifying offer which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. It's the only piece of leverage he has, and the Suns do want to keep Bledsoe, they just over-extended themselves a bit with how far they were willing to go to try and keep his price down.
Pushing the deal up $2 million over a four-year stretch isn't a signficant bump for the athletic guard. His agent is Rich Paul, who of course had a much easier time with his other marquee client, LeBron James, this summer. If the Suns are able to keep Bledsoe's cap hit under $13 million, they'll have still gotten a steal. It looks pretty evident from this news that Bledsoe's the side getting ready to crack.
