The Los Angeles Lakers failed to make big moves this offseason after missing out on their top targets, but all is not lost for the franchise as reports indicated that they could acquire Eric Bledsoe before the 2014-15 NBA season.
Recent reports indicated that the Suns are now shopping Bledsoe after failing to reach a new deal this summer with sources indicating that the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons are making a strong push to acquire the emerging guard.
Bledsoe, who averaged 17.7 points to go along with 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game last season, would be a good fit to the Lakers, who are looking to bounce back from one the worst seasons in franchise history.
However, it is still unknown at this point whether or not the Lakers have the right pieces to convince the Suns to part ways with the 24-year-old guard.
According to Rant Sports, the Lakers will have to part ways with Julius Randle, the 7th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, if they want to acquire Bledsoe.
At this point, the Lakers are unlikely to deal Randle, who is expected to become one of the top rookies in the upcoming season, which means that the Bledsoe-to-Lakers move is a long shot, considering the fact that the Lakers have no other trade pieces the Suns would be interested in getting.
"Beyond Randle, the Lakers don't have any desirable pieces Phoenix would accept. Sure, Nash is the most popular player in Suns history, but trades aren't made solely on sentimentality. The Lakers acquired a first-round pick from Houston in the Jeremy Lin deal, but the pick will probably be in the 20s, and isn't especially appealing to Phoenix," Anthony Irwin of Rant Sports noted.
Bledsoe, who is a restricted free agent this summer, turned down a four-year, $48 million offer from Phoenix as he is looking for a maximum deal, but the Suns have no plans to give into his demands.
Bledsoe could accept a one-year qualifying offer from the Suns, and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. This means that the Suns will run risk of losing him next summer if they won't trade the former Kentucky standout before next season's trade deadline.
