After nearly three weeks of trade talk, dysfunction, and hair salon-related drama, Eric Bledsoe and the Phoenix Suns have finally parted ways. Following a disastrous start to the season where the Suns went winless after three games (two of which were losses by over 40 points), Bledsoe sent out a tweet that made it abundantly clear he did not want to be there. Following that, general manager Ryan McDonough dismissed Bledsoe from the team, signaling Bledsoe's time with the team was coming to an end very soon. And that time has come, as on November 7, Bledsoe was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks for Greg Monroe, a protected first round pick, and a second-round pick.
For the last few years, Eric Bledsoe has been one of the NBA's hidden gems and has become one of the NBA's most underrated players. Last year, Bledsoe averaged 21.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 34% from three-point range. However, a clearly unmotivated Bledsoe's numbers have dropped this season, averaging 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 40% from the field and 31% from three-point range before being dismissed from the Suns. However, now that he's on a playoff-caliber team and with one of the best players in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo, he could see his numbers get back to normal.
This trade was a great move for the Bucks. Despite having one of the best players in the league right now and the early front-runner for the MVP in Antetokounmpo, the Bucks find themselves below .500 with a record of 4-6. That probably has something to do with the fact that without Antetokounmpo on the floor, the Bucks suffer...badly. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Bucks' offensive rating difference (how good a team does on offense vs how good their opponent does on offense) is 1.6 when Antetokounmpo is on the floor...and -17.8 when he's off the floor. That's horrible. The addition of Bledsoe could be just what they need; a player capable of running the offense and putting up 20 points per game.
As for the Suns, while losing one of their best players certainly hurts, I don't think they got shafted as bad as some people are saying they have. Bledsoe obviously didn't want to play in Phoenix anymore, and the drop in his stats clearly shows it. And besides, he wasn't playing after his tweet, so he wasn't contributing anyway. Also, the Suns may have lucked into a solid player in Mike James, who has put up decent numbers in his rookie season. James, along with another decent young point guard in Tyler Ullis, will hopefully be able to fill in for Bledsoe now that he's gone. The Suns also added Greg Monroe to their roster, and while Monore has had a lackluster season so far (likely because of a calf injury he's currently on the disabled list because of, he's still a more than capable player and can help the Suns down low. Last year, Monroe came off the bench and averaged 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53% from the field. The year before that, Monroe started for the Bucks and averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals while shooting 52% from the field. If given the starting job over Tyson Chandler, Monroe could be a big part of a rebuilding Suns' team.
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