Jan 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (right) steals the ball from Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas in the second half at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Raptors 125-109. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
2 – Trading Eric Bledsoe for J.J. Redick, Jared Dudley
At its occurrence, I thought it was a solid coup for a guy the Clippers wouldn’t be able to pay in the following off-season. In theory, the deal was to place “better fits” around Chris Paul, with those fits being two guys who were known for their ability to spread the floor — J.J. Redick would play the Ray Allen role under Doc Rivers and Jared Dudley would be the 3-and-D guy that’d match up with opposing teams best wings.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, this move was made at the same time the league began to transition into a period where dual-point guard lineups were becoming a thing, as seen in Phoenix with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe running the show in Jeff Hornacek‘s backcourt.
It’s no secret how much better Bledsoe is than Redick or Dudley, regardless of how he and Paul may have “fit together” (I personally believed it could’ve worked). This season, Bledsoe is averaging 16.4 points on 43% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 33 minutes per game. His athletic ability alongside Paul’s ability to do a little bit of everything would’ve made for an excellent tandem even if Bledsoe isn’t much of a shooter.
Why this move wasn’t number 1 in this exercise? The Clippers essentially chose DeAndre Jordan over Eric Bledsoe and that’s a decision I’m personally okay with. You don’t win without an elite (or near-elite) rim protector and Jordan possessed the tools to become that player. Under Doc Rivers, Jordan has made the right steps in the direction of becoming one of the best young bigs in the league and he’s due for pay this summer — with Bledsoe and his multi-million deal, the Clippers would essentially punt on the ability to retain Jordan.
Of course, there’s the debate that Jordan isn’t that talented and he’s easier to replace than a Eric Bledsoe, but if there’s something we can all agree on at this moment, it’s that this deal hasn’t turned out as the front office expected, especially as the team gave up on Dudley a year later.
(SN: Everytime this deal is brought up, I can’t help but think about how things look if the Arron Afflalo-for-Bledsoe deal happens instead of getting vetoed.)