With the Phoenix Suns and guard Eric Bledsoe on different levels regarding his contract, the Los Angeles Lakers were poised to play 'vulture' as the relationship deteriorated. According to new reports out of Phoenix, it appears the Suns might be willing to their offer to Bledsoe. Originally the offer was four-years for $48 million, but Bledsoe was far higher, hoping for a max contract of $80 million. Both sides were unable to budge, but now that the Oct. 1 qualifying offer is close at hand, the Suns look to be giving ground.

For Laker fans that were hopeful that Bledsoe could be a young answer to the loss of Kobe Bryant in the coming years, this is discouraging news. There are still various scenarios that could play out, leaving Bledsoe to be a free agent next season where he will undoubtedly be courted by numerous teams.

The appeal of Los Angeles doesn't appear to be at the same level that it once did. Bledsoe obviously knows that other teams want him, so would he will be willing to sacrifice the money for an opportunity to play elsewhere? Phoenix is an improving team and market, but it is dwarfed in comparison to playing with the Los Angeles franchise.

The rumor of a possible trade has been floated around as of late. HoopsWorld quoted an anonymous GM as saying, "It's now a question of leverage. Bledsoe is a great player but he is not irreplaceable and he has an injury history. That would tilt the odds in the Suns' favor. But the Suns were so close to the playoff picture last year, they don't want to get derailed with an awkward situation. So they would rather trade Bledsoe for a player they could use and move on."

This would seemingly pose well for the Lakers except that they would have to give up Jeremy Lin and one other decent sized piece. Other names could be Julius Randle or Jordan Hill, but it is unclear how bad the Lakers actually want Bledsoe. Giving up a number one draft pick is always a risk due to the unforeseeable future.