The Phoenix Suns and guard Eric Bledsoe have been at an impasse in contract negotiations, but Suns president Lon Babby is confident Bledsoe will be back next season, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic.
NBA rumors roundup: Suns still expect Eric Bledsoe back, Stan Van Gundy tells Josh Smith he likely won’t be traded
Suns president Lon Babby expects Bledsoe to be in a Suns uniform next season, while SVG assured Josh Smith that he likely won’t be on the move either.
Christian Petersen
Bledsoe, a restricted free agent, is reportedly searching for a full five-year maximum contract extension worth over $80 million. The Suns are offering a four-year, $48 million contract, which is equal to what Kyle Lowry got from the Toronto Raptors.
With the two parties so far apart and no other teams stepping up with offers to Bledsoe’s liking, his situation continues to drag out. At this point, it seems unlikely that another team will make Bledsoe a max offer. Most teams have used up all their cap space, and while a sign-and-trade remains possible, the Suns have every intention of bringing the young guard back:
“We’ll continue to work as hard as we can within that restricted free agency system established by the collective bargaining agreement,” Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said Monday. “We continue to hope and expect that he will remain in a Suns uniform.”
There were rumors of a possible sign-and-trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, but those were quickly debunked. Phoenix does have reinforcements in place in case Bledsoe goes elsewhere, including Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, but keeping the three guards together was always the plan.
Bledsoe could choose to play for his $3.7 million qualifying offer next season and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but that doesn’t seem to be a likely scenario given his injury history. For now, the waiting game continues as the two sides negotiate.
J-Smoove likely staying put
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The Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings have engaged in trade talks involving Josh Smith on multiple occasions this offseason, but Pistons president Stan Van Gundy told Smith it's unlikely he'll be traded, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
While the Kings have reached out to the Pistons about Smith, the talks never got far because Detroit had little interest in what Sacramento had to offer. The Kings reportedly have discussed sending the Pistons a package including Jason Thompson and Derrick Williams or Jason Terry, and there were rumors of the two teams trying to get a third party involved.
Instead, it appears the Pistons plan on keeping Smith unless they get an offer that blows them away. Both Van Gundy and Smith have expressed enthusiasm about working together, so perhaps the forward can have a bounce-back season.
Detroit is still trying to resolve the Greg Monroe situation. Monroe is a restricted free agent, and the three-big frontcourt of Monroe, Smith and Andre Drummond was a disaster last season. The Pistons are reportedly willing to discuss sign-and-trade scenarios involving Monroe, but nothing has materialized.
Nobody pushed LeBron to Cleveland
Maverick Carter, LeBron James' business partner, told ESPN's Jason Whitlock that nobody in James' inner circle pushed the superstar to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers:
“This was a decision that LeBron made in his heart,” Carter told ESPN.com’s Jason Whitlock on the Real Talk podcast. “We didn’t push him to do it. We don’t push him to do anything. If he asks our opinion or what did we think about the pros and the cons, we help him think through it. We don’t push him.”
There were rumblings that Rich Paul, James’ agent, was the driving force behind the four-time MVP’s decision to return home to Cleveland. But Carter said James “makes his own decisions” and made the choice to return to Cleveland himself.
Carter also said he wasn't sure if James would have remained with the Miami Heat if they had beaten the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, and that the star and Dwyane Wade will be "friends for life."
Kings still looking for a PF
With a trade for Smith looking unlikely, the Kings continue to be on the lookout for an upgrade at the power forward position, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
Thompson, Williams and Rudy Gay can all play the 4, but Sacramento wants to acquire an athletic shot-blocker or a true stretch 4 to pair with DeMarcus Cousins.
The Kings will continue to scour the trade market the rest of the summer, and if they can’t find a solution, will look to make a deal in-season.
Thunder won't recognize Sonics' title on jerseys
Starting next season, the NBA and adidas will add a small gold mark on the back jersey collar of teams that have won an NBA title. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder will not have the tag on their jersey to commemorate the Seattle SuperSonics’ 1979 championship, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Oklahoman.
Stavenhagen spoke about the decision with Christopher Arena, the NBA’s vice president of outfitting, identity and equipment:
“As of right now, they are not wearing it,” Arena said. “They actually would have had to have told us that some time ago, and that was their choice. We have several teams who have a lineage that exists prior to the city that they’re in ...Some teams embrace that past, some teams don’t. Whether it’s because of ownership changes or perhaps the lineage is too great of a distance or the team nickname changed or whatever it may be, that’s their decision.”
The new mark features the Larry O’Brien Trophy and notes how many championships a franchise has won.
Ginobili not ruling himself out of World Cup
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is recovering from a stress fracture in his right leg, and he's not ruling himself out of playing for Argentina in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain later this summer, according to Argentine website Canchallena.LaNacion.com.
Ginobili revealed that he’s not feeling much pain in the area of the stress fracture, which has him somewhat optimistic about his ability to play in Spain. However, the 36-year-old still has some doubts and will remain cautious with the injury.
The Spurs would prefer that Ginobili spend the summer resting, and he has agreed with head coach Gregg Popovich that he won't play if there's any pain when he tests the leg. A decision will likely be made in the next few weeks.
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