The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly trying to get the service of Phoenix Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe, who remains the biggest player still unclaimed in the free-agency market, according to multiple sources on Tuesday.
The Lakers are looking to further improve their lineup after acquiring Jeremy Lin (trade), Julius Randle (draft pick), Carlos Boozer (silent bidding) and Ed Davis (free-agency) this offseason.
General manager Mitch Kupchack has been busy trying to add more talents around Kobe Bryant, as the Black Mamba embarks in the first of what could be his final two years with the purple-and-gold franchise.
According to the latest rumors around the association, the Lakers are attempting to steal Bledsoe away from the Suns by offering him a contract that could not be matched by the team.
There are reports that Kupchack is planning to offer Bledsoe a back-loaded poison pill deal - the same contract signed by Lin and Omer Asik with Houston Rockets - that could complicate the Suns' salary flexibility in the upcoming seasons.
Bledsoe, who was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Suns in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer, had a breakout year last season as he averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 32 minutes a game.
The Suns addressed that they are still looking to keep Bledsoe for more seasons. In fact, they have already offered a four-year, $48 million deal for the shifty playmaker.
Aside forming a competitive roster for next season, Kupchack also mentioned their head-coaching search, which remains a big mystery for basketball followers and pundits alike.
"Maybe we can wait until September," Kupchak joked in an interview with ESPN. "Obviously that's one of the next things that we're going to address, and with putting the roster together and getting through the draft and getting through this last period, a week or two, the next thing we're going to work on is the coach, and I think we're going to have somebody in the next couple weeks."
Byron Scott, Mike Dunleavy, George Karl, and Kurt Rambis are being mentioned as candidates for the Lakers coaching job left vacated by Mike D'Antoni, who had a turbulent tenure with the purple-and-gold.
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