SH Blog: Suns continue to damage relationship with Bledsoe; Grizzlies hire Stefanski; Nash says this year his last; Durant unsure of future

As the fury of NBA free agency slowly dies down as we approach the dog days of August — the dreadfully slow period of the NBA offseason — we’re left with a few big names standing.

One of which is Eric Beldsoe, the standout guard for the Phoenix Suns who has had a difficult time navigating restricted free agency. He and his agent, Rich Paul (LeBron’s agent and close friend), have been miles apart on negotiations with the Suns front office. The two sides seem to be so far apart that one source has gone as far as to label it irreparable. 

Here’s more from Chris Haynes of Comcast SportsNet:

According to league sources, an “ominous development” has arisen with sides still “very far apart” in contract negotiations. It has even escalated to the point where the “relationship is on the express lane to being ruined,” a source with knowledge of the situation informed.

The Suns offered Bledsoe a four-year, $48 million deal with declining salaries each year, two sources said. That proposal was quickly turned down. Bledsoe’s camp is putting a max price tag on the player Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek called “a Top-10 player in the NBA in coming years”, another source said.

The strategy the Suns have been employing has worked on deterring the market — threatening to match any offers for Bledsoe, forcing teams to overpay him — but at the same time, they have jeopardized their relationship by coming back and lowballing him.

Phoenix has made it known publicly and repeatedly that they intend to match any offer sheets competitors issue out to Bledsoe. This tactic has succeeded in scaring away any potential suitors so far. However, the effort by the Suns to undermine Bledsoe’s market is what has angered Bledsoe and his reps and led to a standoff in which the relationship is now on the verge of being irreparable, we’re told. 

Being on rocky terms with one starter is bad enough, but the Suns are also dealing with an entirely different bad in PJ Tucker, the teams starting small forward last season. Tucker was arrested in May for what was described as a “extreme DUI.” What’s not good is the Suns are just finding out after locking him up to a three-year, $16.5 million contract.

Here’s more from SportsNation:

The threshold for a “super extreme DUI” in Arizona is .200. A driver is legally drunk if his or her blood alcohol level is above .08. Thus, Tucker was nearly three times over the legal limit and well over the “super extreme DUI” threshold. Calculating what Tucker actually drank is difficult, but given that he’s listed at 230 pounds, it’s about the equivalent of downing an entire 12-pack in 2-3 hours.

Tucker reportedly failed a sobriety test and displayed slurred speech and a lack of balance while emitting a heavy odor of alcohol.

The report of the May arrest comes just two weeks after the Suns locked up Tucker with a three-year, $16.5 million contract in free agency. Last season was Tucker’s second in Phoenix, and he posted career highs in points, rebounds and assists per game while averaging over 30 minutes per night.

If things don’t turn around for Phoenix the Suns could be looking at starting the season without two of their starters from last years surprise 48-win campaign.

Onto more from around the NBA

• There’s a reason Zach Lowe is one of the best at what he does. It’s because he pumps out features like this on Kyle Korver: “With none of their preferred choices on the board, the Nets brass selected Creighton forward Kyle Korver with the 51st pick — and immediately sold his draft rights to the Sixers for $125,000. That covered summer league. With the leftover cash, the Nets bought a new copy machine. New Jersey thus became the first in a long line of teams that have underestimated Korver and live with regret as he continues to improve well into his thirties. Korver’s development into a borderline star has surprised everyone, even the 33-year-old swingman, and the journey will reach its latest peak this week when he competes for one of 12 precious roster spots on the U.S. team heading to the FIBA World Cup. “We gave away a good player for summer league,” says Rod Thorn, the Nets GM at the time. “It was just one of those things we had to do. At least, that’s how I rationalized it.” Korver is an antique perfectly suited to thrive at the forefront of the league’s evolution. He is among a dying breed who sprint around screens away from the ball, Reggie Miller–style, hoist quick catch-and-shoot jumpers, and sink enough of them to make the advanced math work. “Nobody plays that way anymore,” says Steve Clifford, the Hornets’ coach. “Game-planning for him is such a handful.””

• The Memphis Grizzlies look to add some stability to its front office with the hire of Ed Stefanski: “Stefanski will assume a key role in the Grizzlies’ player personnel and scouting areas, serving under general manager Chris Wallace, sources said. Stefanski brings a strong player personnel background, as well as excellent relationships with front-office peers and agents. In the aftermath of CEO Jason Levien’s firing in Memphis, Stefanski’s hiring is important in delivering Wallace and the organization an experienced, accomplished basketball executive. The return of Wallace to the top basketball job – and the addition of Stefanski – promises to help reconstruct the Grizzlies’ credibility around the league. Stefanski worked as a general manager with the Philadelphia 76ers and played a key role in the Nets’ roster overhaul a decade ago that led to consecutive NBA finals appearances.”

• Steve Nash has confirmed that this will be his last NBA season: ““I think this is my last season,” said the 40-year-old Nash in a video posted by Sport TV. But I still love to play, practice and work on my game. I’m going to spend hopefully many many years living this life without basketball. It’ll be nice to play one more year.” The Lakers have not wavered on their stance that they would keep Nash for next season. Although the Lakers could waive him through the so-called stretch provision, that would require them to pay out his salary through three years instead of one. Doing that could compromise the Lakers’ hopes to pursue high-level free agents both in 2015 (Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo) and 2016 (Kevin Durant). The Lakers hardly have much confidence Nash can fully heal from a back injury that kept him sidelined for all but 15 games last season. That partly explains why the Lakers acquired Jeremy Lin in a trade from Houston and paid $1.8 million to Washington for their 46th draft pick to select Jordan Clarkson. But Nash could prove an integral piece, playing a mentor role even if it involves playing as a reserve in limited minutes. Nash’s fledgling health marks one of the many reasons why the Lakers are expected to have a lengthy rebuilding process with another likely missed playoff appearance.”

• SheridanHoops own Bobby Gonzalez has the latest scoop on Derrick Rose and the rest of Team USA action this week: “They have five point guards who can all flat-out play, and my guess is they can only pick three — which means two of them will get cut, and I just can’t imagine how tough of a decision that will be. After the strong impression Derrick Rose made today, if he can stay focused, healthy and committed, I believe he will make it to Spain. He was once the league MVP; his coach, Tom Thibodeau, is on staff; and he is a tough Chicago kid, which is where both Colangelo and Coach K hail from. So I have to believe Rose will be a lock to make the team and probably be the starting point guard. At the first practice Monday, I noticed at one point how Coach K put a group out there with Rose at the point, James Harden at the 2, Paul George as the small forward, Kevin Durant at the big forward spot and Anthony Davis at center.”

• Durant applauds LeBron’s move of going back to Cleveland, but is unsure of his future: “”I thought it was well-thought-out. It was classy. It was a great move to do it as a letter,” Durant said after a training camp session with USA Basketball on Tuesday. “That was pretty cool. It’s funny seeing guys think about more than just basketball for once. He thought about the city where he comes from, about Northeast Ohio and how he can affect so many of the kids just being there playing basketball. I love that. So many guys get criticized for making the decision that’s best for them, instead of what’s best for everybody else. He’s a guy that did that. You gotta respect that. I applauded him, I texted him and told him congratulations on the decision and told him I was happy for him. As a fan of the game, it’s going to be pretty cool to see him back in Cleveland.” The two MVPs have developed a close friendship over the years. Durant famously joined James to train in Akron during the lockout in 2011, so he saw James’ affection for his hometown firsthand. Durant also has close ties to his hometown, Seat Pleasant, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. He began his MVP speech this spring with a reference to his home. “I come from a small county outside of Washington, D.C., called P.G. County,” he said. Asked Tuesday if he might make a similar homecoming when he can become a free agent in two years, Durant said that was too far in the future to discuss in a serious way right now. “I’m going to do what’s best for me,” Durant said. “It’s hard to talk about that right now when I’ve got two years left in Oklahoma City. I’m just going to focus on that. I’m not going to make a decision based on what anybody else does. I grew up watching the Bullets/Wizards. I grew up taking the train to that arena, all the time, to watch Georgetown, the Bullets, the Washington Mystics. That whole city is a part of me. It’s in my blood. I love going back home, seeing my family and playing there, but I love Oklahoma City too.””

Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.