Lakers might chase Eric Bledsoe, per report

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Hmm, would the Lakers be interested in the services of a rising star point guard? Sure!

Rumor has it that the Los Angeles Lakers plan to make a push for Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, according to a report by ESPN's Chris Broussard:

I was told the Los Angeles Lakers might go hard after Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, who is out the rest of the season with a knee injury. Bledsoe will be a restricted free agent next summer, but I'm told the Lakers might be willing to overpay him to pry him away from Phoenix.

Before getting all carried away with the "L.A. always gets the top free agents!" stuff, let's look at this situation. Bledsoe 24 years old and, before knee surgery, he averaged 18 points, 5.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his first season as a starter. He has erased the doubts people had about him when he was a per-minute monster behind Chris Paul with the Los Angeles Clippers, and of course the Lakers would like to add him to their roster. Los Angeles will likely be one of many suitors, though. Given how he's played on and off the ball with Goran Dragic this year, who wouldn't want Bledsoe?

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The questions are whether Bledsoe would chose to sign an offer sheet with the Lakers over any other team and whether Los Angeles would offer him so much money that Phoenix would consider letting him walk. The Suns see Bledsoe as a core piece of their future, as they should, and general manager Ryan McDonough has already said that the team will match "any reasonable offer" for him.

With a promising young team and an environment that should allow Bledsoe room to keep growing into his game, it still seems a safe bet that he'll be in Phoenix next season and beyond.