The long stalemate between the Phoenix Suns and restricted free agent guard Eric Bledsoe has come to an end, and the 24-year old isn’t going anywhere.
Bledsoe and the Suns came to an agreement Wednesday on what is believed to be a five-year, $70 million pact.
From the press release:
“I learned long ago that it doesn’t matter how stormy the sea is as long as the ship comes in and today we are thrilled that the ship has come in and Eric will remain a Sun for a long time,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral part not only of our basketball team, but our Phoenix community.”
“Lon, [General Manager Ryan McDonough] and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship,” said Bledsoe. “It’s why I came back to Phoenix. All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches. I am very happy it was able to work out this way.”
Happy to be back in the valley☀️☀️☀️!!! #klutch my brother rich Paul #wewriteouronchapter http://t.co/iSGLRUt1pe
— Eric Bledsoe (@EBled2) September 24, 2014
The Bledsoe camp had insisted all summer long on a five-year, $80 million max deal. He faced an Oct. 1 deadline to sign a $3.7 million qualifying offer to play in Phoenix this season, then become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Bledsoe appeared in 43 games for the Suns last season, posting career-high averages of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32 minutes while also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from the field. He missed half the season following knee surgery to repair a meniscus injury, the second such surgery of his year four-year career.
