The Bledsoe Drama

Man, you have just got to love the NBA.

First, you have a star player get on Twitter and post the words "I don't wanna be here." In the span of 24 hours, he's sitting in a meeting with a new interim head coach and a general manager, and they are moving him as far away from their team as they can.

That's just a summary, folks, so that you can decide whether you want to read on with this article or just let it go and forget that you ever clicked on it.

Phoenix Suns Point Guard Eric Bledsoe has seen a lot of change in Phoenix in his short career there thus far. He once played with Goron Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, primed to be one of the best front courts in the game of basketball. In one day he watched both Dragic and Thomas get shipped out to different teams and see success since then. Believe me, folks. This has been a long time coming.

He tweeted out Sunday afternoon "I don't wanna be here." Hours later, Suns coach Earl Watson was fired, and former Toronto Head Coach Jay Triano was named the interim. The media jumped on the tweet, referring to it as a "call to be traded."

As much as the sports media likes to assume things that initially sound good and are then debunked, this was actually a good assumption to make. It's been known that Bledsoe has been unhappy with the direction of the team this offseason, and he knows that the front office has been whispering behind his back saying that his playmaking abilities don't improve the team. When Watson got fired, it became very clear that Bledsoe wasn't going to be around much longer.

Rumor has had it that Watson has been bumping heads with General Manager Ryan McDonough throughout the entire offseason over player development and the direction of the team, and McDonough confirmed those rumors when he announced the firing of Watson. He insisted that the aging coach wasn't fired because of a couple 40 point losses, but for the reasons I mentioned above.

Bledsoe would have been all too aware of the conversations going down between Watson and McDonough, and he trusted his coach. When Watson got fired, that was the breaking point for Bledsoe.

He met with Triano and McDonough on Monday morning, and was sent home after what sounded like a productive and fruitful meeting... If you consider Bledsoe moving out of Phoenix a blessing. "He said he was at a hair salon with his girl and he didn't want to be there anymore," McDonough told reporters who asked about Bledsoe's tweet. "I don't believe that to be true." McDonough sent Bledsoe home, and told reporters that the team would be moving on without him.

Instantly, the trade market opened and teams were calling about acquiring a young, talented star point guard. The Knicks have reached out, as have the Cavaliers, the Bucks and the Nuggets, according to Sportingnews.com. With all of the early season injuries with point guards this season (Derrick Rose, Jeremy Lin, etc) it makes sense that teams would be willing to trade for Bledsoe who is only 27, under contract through next season, and coming off of a career year.

However, the Suns want a talented young player in return for Bledsoe, something a lot of teams in the NBA are not willing to give up. Here's where a Bledsoe trade has snagged a good bit. Rumor is that Phoenix requested Rookie Point Guard Frank Ntilikina and Center Willie Hernangomez when the Knicks inquired about Bledsoe.

Phoenix is looking to build a very strong, young core. They already have it with SG Devin Booker, with rookie SF Josh Jackson, two talented young big men in Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, and then they have depth with guards Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis, Forwards Derrick Jones Jr and Jared Dudley. So let's face it. They want a young point guard who can be a star.

Triano is all about holding young players to a higher standard. That is the difference between Watson and Triano. Bledsoe was expected to be more of a mentor, whereas he wanted to be a star. Yes, there is a difference. It's hard for a player to be both.

Bledsoe didn't feel like a star in Phoenix. He got benched the last 15 games of last season as the team intentionally tanked to get Jackson, and to further develop Ulis. That normally doesn't happen to stars.

Bledsoe has superstar potential inside of him, and we have seen it brim over the top more then once. He needs a decent team around him to compete, and would probably do well in a place like Cleveland... And Phoenix wants something from Cleveland.

There are some great prospects coming out of college next season, none better at the point then potentially one and done player Trae Young out of Oklahoma. What better way to nab a potential top 5 pick by sending Bledsoe off to the Cavs in return for the Nets 2018 1st round pick, which Cleveland owns.

The Cavaliers would be willing to part ways with it too. Back in early September, shortly after acquiring the pick from the Celtics in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, Cleveland General Manager Koby Altman said that they "Have a responsibility to listen to calls" regarding that pick.

Phoenix would love to have that pick and a prospect or two from Cleveland. Someone like a big man in Ante Zizic, the former Boston Celtic, would be nice.

Cleveland has sold out to beat Golden State this season before people become to expensive to keep and the team falls apart. But this season is the season where Cleveland is chasing the Warriors and they want a title. Bledsoe would be the perfect addition to make the Cavaliers a new breed of Superteam.

So the summary of this article. Best of luck to Eric Bledsoe, I hope he finds everything that he always wanted. But he's moving on from Phoenix. Let's see where he goes from here.