Report: Suns’ Bledsoe, No. 4 pick included in Cavs’ trade talks for George
Jul 23, 2017, 10:15 AM | Updated: 3:45 pm
(AP photos)
(AP photos)
In a report on ESPN.com on the saga surrounding Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving and his reported trade request, the Phoenix Suns were featured in a section going over reported Paul George trade talks.
In the days leading up to the draft, sources said, the Cavs had talks with the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz as they looked for a way to get George. The most serious of those conversations involved the Suns and a package including the No. 4 overall pick and Eric Bledsoe. The Jazz had expressed interest in Irving for the past few years, but sources said those discussions never got that serious.
The details are fuzzy. The report does not directly state what the Suns were receiving in those talks or who shut down the proposals before they progressed any further, but the report earlier states that Irving was included in some of the Cavaliers’ proposals for Jimmy Butler or George.
What followed was a whirlwind, with the Cavs putting forth a series of trade packages looking to acquire either Butler or George. Some of these talks included Irving, which upset him even more when he found out about it, sources said.
With the magnitude of the Suns giving up a top-5 pick and Bledsoe, one would have to assume the Suns were the team getting back Irving in the reported proposal, with Bledsoe headed to Cleveland to replace Irving and the No. 4 pick being the prime asset for Indiana to acquire for sending George to the Cavaliers.
That didn’t happen, of course. Now, George is in Oklahoma City, Bledsoe and Irving are still with their respective teams for now and Phoenix wound up selecting Kansas forward Josh Jackson with the fourth overall pick.
Bledsoe’s fit as a potential Irving replacement makes sense as ESPN’s Kevin Pelton noted earlier in the week.
It is not the first trade rumor for Bledsoe to be a part of and certainly won’t be his last.
