McDonough: A chance Bledsoe has played his last game with Suns
Oct 23, 2017, 1:06 PM | Updated: 1:18 pm
(AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The statement was brief. Only five words.
But in those five words, point guard Eric Bledsoe made clear his feelings about his time with the Phoenix Suns.
“I Dont wanna be here,” he tweeted Sunday afternoon.
Among the many people who saw and read the tweet was Suns general manager Ryan McDonough.
“You guys saw his tweet last night,” he said. “I gave him a call last night and asked him about that tweet just to clarify what he meant by it and he said he was at a hair salon. It wasn’t about the Suns or anything related to the Suns. He said he was at a hair salon with his girl and he didn’t want to be there anymore.
“I don’t believe that to be true.”
A Sunday evening call was followed by a Monday morning meeting with Bledsoe at Talking Stick Resort Arena prior to shootaround, according to McDonough. Interim head coach Jay Triano was also included in that conversation. And after discussing the situation further with managing partner Robert Sarver, the Suns sent Bledsoe home.
It was a decision, McDonough said, that was “best for the organization, so he won’t be with us going forward.”
Asked specifically if Bledsoe had played his last game in a Suns uniform, McDonough answered, “I don’t know that yet. I think there’s a chance he has.”
Teams have already started calling the Suns about a possible trade for Bledsoe, who McDonough admitted had requested to be traded before the season started.
Bledsoe is in his fifth season with the Suns, averaging 15.7 points and 3.0 assists through three games.
Any team that might require the 27-year-old would have his services for all of this season and next, when Bledsoe is due to make $15 million in the last year of a five-year, $70 million contract.
“This is a reset. This is a turning of the page,” McDonough said, explaining further why Bledsoe was sent home. “As we try to change the culture and build a foundation that’s sustainable for long-term success, we didn’t want him to be a distraction.”
