Milwaukee Bucks
Who is new Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe?
Milwaukee Bucks

Who is new Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe?

Published Nov. 10, 2017 10:58 a.m. ET

Twitter changed the game Wednesday, upgrading its character limit from 140 to 280.



It took point guard Eric Bledsoe just 20 characters -- I Dont wanna be here [sic] -- to get himself traded from the listless Phoenix Suns to the ascendant Milwaukee Bucks.

That should definitely help his efficiency rating.

[Pauses for applause].

Bledsoe came relatively cheap, costing the Bucks veteran center Greg Monroe and a pair of draft picks after tanking his trade value with the tweet and the dismissal that came after.

Freed from his solitary desert stakeout -- the Suns haven't made the playoffs since 2010 -- Bledsoe should pair nicely with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, as the Bucks look to contend in the shallow Eastern Conference.

It might not have been the nicest way to leave town, but the benefits to Bledsoe -- he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for the tweet, which he maintains was about a hair salon -- probably outweigh the costs.

A one-and-done out of Kentucky, Bledsoe helped the Wildcats to the Elite Eight during the 2009-10 season, averaging 11.3 points per game.

He set and NCAA tournament record during a win over East Tennessee State, hitting eight 3-pointers.

Bledsoe declared for the NBA Draft in 2010, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 18, who promptly traded him the Los Angeles Clippers for a future first round pick.

The Clippers changed gears following his solid debut -- Bledsoe was named to the All-Rookie team -- trading for fellow point guard Chris Paul and relegating the youngster to a backup role.

He started just one game during his second season with the Clippers, averaging 3.3 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game.

His play -- and his playing time -- improved in year three, which caught the attention of the Suns, who landed Bledsoe via a three-team trade with the Clippers and (surprise!) the Bucks.

Bledsoe went to the Suns along with teammate Caron Butler. The Clippers got Jared Dudley from Phoenix and, in a sign-and-trade, J.J. Redick form Milwaukee, while the Bucks got a pair of second-round picks in 2014 and 2016.

The Bucks turned around and sent one of those picks, after a few transactions, to the Nets as compensation for hiring Jason Kidd.

Bledsoe shined in four-plus seasons with the Suns, averaging 18.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

Those figures earned Bledsoe a five-year, $70 million contract in 2014.

He made good on it, averaging more than 20 points per game twice (20.4 in 2015-16 and 21.1 in 2016-17), before tweeting his way to Milwaukee.

A versatile weapon on offense and a multi-talented defender on the other end, Bledsoe should be a good fit next to other core pieces like Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon.

And with two years to sell him on that core, and a shiny new arena to help them do it, the Bucks might have pulled off a game-changing trade.

ADVERTISEMENT
share


Get more from Milwaukee Bucks Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic