Suns owner Robert Sarver on Eric Bledsoe: “We think it’s a fair offer”

Eric Bledsoe is in a tough spot.

He wants a max extension — five years, $80 million — but the Phoenix Suns’ offer on the table is four years, $48 million. Bledsoe is a restricted free agent so any team could make and offer and force the Suns to match or let him go, but the feeling around the league was the Suns would just match so why offer and tie up your money for a few days while other guys keep signing?. Because of that no other offer came, Bledsoe never had the leverage he needed.

The two sides are at an impasse, their relationship is reportedly strained, but Suns owner Robert Sarver didn’t sound like a guy about to budge speaking to Andrew Gilstrap of ArizonaSports.com.

“We think it’s a fair offer. I think you could argue, you know, I mean some would say it’s maybe a little high; some would say it’s low,” the owner said. “What’s fair is important to us, and also important to him -- him and his agent. It’s not necessarily us to determine what he thinks is fair; it’s him to determine that.”

About that strained relationship, the owner doesn’t see it.

“I think Eric’s a great guy. And he’ll be happy here when he gets here, whether that’s for one year or for four years or five years,” he said. “I think his agent’s trying to do the best job he can, too. And I have a pretty good relationship with his agent. It’s just part of the process. I wish it would have been resolved earlier, but it is what it is.”

First off, it was floated in this article and has been by some that Bledsoe’s agent, Rich Paul, was in over his head here. That’s a load of crap. For example No. 1, how much better did his main client LeBron James handle that move with Paul guiding him? Paul is not inexperienced, he’s worked for major agencies and gets how the contract game is played. His problem was no other team wanted to make an offer because the Suns would just match. No agent could fix that. (Now the only team with the cap space to make that kind of offer is the Sixers and they are not interested.)

The problem for Bledsoe is he comes to an agreement with the Suns now or he can play one year at the qualifying offer of $3.7 million and then be an unrestricted free agent. That’s a huge amount of risk that can be blown up by a freak injury or a host of other things.

Eric Bledsoe is in a tough spot.