Phoenix Will Match Any Offer To Eric Bledsoe In RFA

[jonathanlambert33]

Eric Bledsoe emerged as a star this season with the Phoenix Suns until his knee surgery in January. Bledsoe averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Bledsoe will be a restricted free agent and Lon Babby plans to match any potential offer in the open market.

"I think our answer to that is yes, that we know enough about Eric as a player," Babby said. "Even more importantly, we've lived with him now for almost a year as a person. We like everything about him. Like him as a teammate, like him as a representative of our franchise and everything that he stands for.

"He's got a tremendous future."

Babby hopes the Suns can sign Bledsoe outright instead of going through the process of matching.

"If you ask me today, I would say absolutely we are going to match any offer, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope Eric has developed enough of a feeling, and my instincts are that he likes it here."

Via Adam Green/Arizona Republic

 

[bosoxlover12]

Just IMO:

For these RFAs that will obviously be matched (like Kyrie will), why don't teams just offer 1 year maxes? That way the teams can bid for them a year later, rather than 5

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Fear of injury, etc.

 

[elcheato]

Because the RFA wouldn't accept that offer sheet.

 

[bosoxlover12]

And then they play on the QO for a year and become a UFA

 

[bosoxlover12]

Fear of injury, etc.

If you are a Kyrie Irving type player, you will still get a max from the Lakers, even with an injury

 

[jonathanlambert33]

A player may try to delay his signing to a certain team, but nobody coming off a rookie deal is accepting that qualifying offer instead of a long term deal. I mean it's rare to see any player entering their second or third contract opt into one final year of a deal. Eric Gordon for example has a 15.5M player option next year, and there is no way in hell he opts into that.

 

[elcheato]

You can sign a contract with your current team as a RFA without an offer sheet

 

[elcheato]

A player may try to delay his signing to a certain team, but nobody coming off a rookie deal is accepting that qualifying offer instead of a long term deal. I mean it's rare to see any player entering their second or third contract opt into one final year of a deal. Eric Gordon for example has a 15.5M player option next year, and there is no way in hell he opts into that.

I'd bet the mortgage of my future house that Eric Gordon opts in.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

deal