Transferred during the season, Eric Bledsoe has not played a game with the Blazers jersey and he still will not play next season. And yes, Portland decided to cut the playmaker so as not to have to pay the full of his last year of contract.
Returning to the Clippers last summer with the hope of reviving, Eric Bledsoe experienced a contrasting exercise. Useful player from Tyronn Lue’s collective (9.9 points at 42.1% shooting including 31.3% from afar, 3.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 interceptions in 25.2 minutes of play on average), the leader has not yet finished the season in the City of Angels. Traded at the deadline with Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a future second round draft pick against Norman Powell and Robert Covington, the one who was called “mini-LeBron” will then see the problems tumble. As soon as he arrived in Oregon, he began to feel severe pain in his left Achilles tendon. A problem that prevented him from playing any minute with Damian Lillard’s franchise. Off-season requires, big decisions are on the agenda and management did not fail to spot an interesting line in Bledsoe’s contract: lThe veteran’s 2022-23 season salary is not fully guaranteed. So if he’s cut before July 10, he’ll only get $3.9 million of the $19.38 million he was originally supposed to earn. Portland obviously did not hesitate to get rid of their injured player and save a few precious dollars. The info was confirmed by Shams Charania from The Athletic.
The Portland Trail Blazers plan to waive guard Eric Bledsoe ahead of his guarantee date approaching, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Entering his 13th NBA season, several teams are expected to pursue Bledsoe as a free agent.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2022
Yes it’s true that in recent years, we remember Eric Bledsoe more for what he did off the pitch than on the court. His famous tweet “I Dont wanna be here” already dates from five years ago, and since then there have not been too many other crazies since this 2017-18 season in Milwaukee. Oh yes, he still said that Tyronn Lue and Gregg Popovich were comparable, sorry. Sacrificed by the Bucks to bring Jrue Holiday in the fall of 2020, Bledsoe has since slowly but surely declined. His move to the Pelicans and the Clippers will not have marked the spirits. A good defender, he was elected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2019 and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2020, experienced, Eric Bledsoe should still be able to find some exit doors to try to bounce back. That’s good, Shams Charania has indicated that several franchises are already on the spot to pay for the services of the leader for twelve seasons in the League.
Eric Bledsoe is kicked out by the Blazers but intends to bounce back as soon as his recovery is over. Which franchises will want to take the bet?
Source texte : Shams Charania / The Athletic
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