Eric Bledsoe Trade: Cavs could offer Iman Shumpert, Ante Zizic, draft pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers are among teams preparing to make a run at disgruntled Phoenix Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, who is expected to be traded in the near future. The Cavs had tried to acquire Bledsoe earlier in the offseason when Kyrie Irving requested a trade out of Cleveland.

According to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, the Cavs could potentially offer veteran wing Iman Shumpert, third-year big man Ante Zizic and a protected 2021 first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns.

"Bledsoe has long been linked to Cleveland because he's represented by Klutch Sports Management (LeBron James' management team), but he also would fit well with the Cavaliers. Derrick Rose's sprained ankle has exposed how thin Cleveland is at point guard with Isaiah Thomas side lined by a hip injury, and even once Thomas returns Bledsoe is a better fit defensively to match up with the Golden State Warriors in a possible NBA Finals rematch," Pelton wrote in an insider article published on Monday.

Eric Bledsoe Trade: Cavs interested due to Isaiah Thomas injury

Alhough the Kyrie Irving trade fetched the Cavs an impressive haul of players and draft picks from the Boston Celtics, the injury status of Isaiah Thomas means the team still lacks depth at the point guard position. Also, Derrick Rose, another offseason acquisition, is currently missing time with an ankle injury. Bledsoe would give Cleveland an insurance cover heading into next year's playoffs.

"While the Cavaliers have to think about a possible future without LeBron James, parting with Zizic and a first-round pick is reasonable to maximize their chances of winning a championship with James, and Bledsoe would still have some value as an expiring contract next summer if Cleveland wanted to move on. This incarnation of a trade would cost the Cavaliers in terms of luxury tax, however. It's possible a larger deal could be worked out that would send Channing Frye back to Phoenix and add Troy Daniels to Bledsoe," the report adds.

The New York Knicks, another team that could use a starting-calibre point guard, has already reached out the Phoenix Suns with regards acquiring Bledsoe, according to several reports. Ryan McDonough, the general manger of the Suns, told reporters Monday that Bledsoe had played his final game with the Suns.

Eric Bledsoe has two years left on the five-year, US$70 million (AU$89 million) contract he signed with the Suns in 2014. Bledsoe requested a trade from Phoenix on the same day the franchise let go off head coach Earl Watson. A forthright Bledsoe tweeted out Sunday "I don't wanna be here" barely an hour before the Suns fired Watson and appointed Jay Triano as interim head coach. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates on a potential Eric Bledsoe trade.