NBA teams
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Suns thriving with three-PG lineup

NBA

When the Phoenix Suns signed guard Isaiah Thomas this summer to a four-year, $27 million deal, it was easy to see him as a replacement for Eric Bledsoe, who at the time was an unsigned restricted free agent. Thomas was an efficient scorer in Sacramento who had worn out his welcome with his tunnel vision, and if the Suns weren't going to be able to retain Bledsoe, Thomas was a reasonable facsimile for a fraction of the price who could play running mate to Goran Dragic.

Of course, Phoenix maintains it always envisioned a three-guard rotation, with Thomas taking over for the often outmatched Ish Smith, who struggled at times to shoulder the load of being a rotation guard, particularly when Bledsoe went down with injury.

The 11th-hour agreement on the eve of training camp with Bledsoe to stay for five years, $70 million presented the real-life dilemma of how to keep three high-usage point guards satisfied with just one basketball.

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