Eric Bledsoe‘s contract situation was finally resolved yesterday when the Suns and the point guard agreed to a five-year, $70MM contract extension. The reactions from around the league are still pouring in and here is the latest news:
- One of the major concerns about Bledsoe would be how he would recover from his meniscus injury, but GM Ryan McDonough didn’t seem all that concerned, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. McDonough said, “We would not have made this commitment in terms of years or money if we had significant concerns about Eric’s health. Nobody knows Eric’s medical history or where he’s at better than us.“
- In the same article McDonough notes the process took longer than they had hoped, but added, “He [Bledsoe] said all the right things to Lon [Babby], Robert [Sarver] and I about how he wanted to be here and take the next step as a leader and be a part of the community.”
- Bledsoe chimed in on the deal in the team’s official statement, saying, “Lon, Ryan and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship. It’s why I came back to Phoenix. All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches. I am very happy it was able to work out this way.”
- Bledsoe’s deal is an “emphatic win” for him and also a boon for extension-eligible point guards Reggie Jackson, Ricky Rubio and Kemba Walker, but it’s a gamble worth taking for Phoenix, Grantland’s Zach Lowe believes.
- With the market seemingly barren for Bledsoe this late in the summer, Phoenix blinked first during the negotiations, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation.
- The Suns scored a big victory in locking up Bledsoe for the next five seasons, Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic writes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.