Report: Suns, Nuggets talked swapping Bledsoe for Mudiay, pick
Jun 22, 2017, 3:41 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Suns and Nuggets had talks on a trade that would send point guard Eric Bledsoe to Denver in exchange for Emmanuel Mudiay and the No. 13 pick, reports ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
John Gambadoro reported on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station that the Suns had been in talks with Denver involving a similar a deal involving at least Bledsoe and the No. 13 pick.
Around the same time, David Aldridge of NBA.com reported the Suns weren’t close to any deal.
Meanwhile, ESPN New York’s Ian Begley reported a potential Phoenix-New York deal involving Kristaps Porzingis was still smoldering, and the Suns were linked in a Bledsoe-centric deal with the Bulls, reported Basketball Insiders’ Michael Scotto.
Phoenix’s offers for Porzingis have included the No. 4 pick, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, per Begley’s sources.
Bledsoe, 27, is coming off his best season as a pro and in 66 games before being shut down for the year averaged 21.1 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. All were career highs.
At 21 years old, Mudiay fits more in tune with Phoenix’s young core including Devin Booker, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Tyler Ulis. He averaged 11 points, 3.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game last year, his second in the league. Those numbers were all dips from his rookie numbers of 12.8 points, 5.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Mudiay, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound point guard drafted seventh overall in 2015, shot just 38 percent overall and 32 percent from three-point range last season.