Suns deal Bledsoe to Bucks for Monroe, picks
The Phoenix Suns have traded point guard Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks for Greg Monroe, a first-round pick, and a potential second-round selection, the teams announced Tuesday.
The official release confirmed the lottery protections on the first-rounder that were initially reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sources: First-round pick protection: 2018: Suns get Bucks pick between 11-to-16. 2019: 4-to-16. 2020: 8 to 30. 2021: Unprotected.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 7, 2017
The Suns will get Milwaukee's 2018 second-rounder if it falls between No. 48 and 60. Wojnarowski reports it does not carry into 2019 if the Bucks keep it.
Milwaukee had been one of the rumored destinations for Bledsoe since he effectively ended his Suns tenure by tweeting "I don't wanna be here" on Oct. 22.
The 27-year-old is a dynamic guard who has averaged almost 19 points and six assists per game over the last five seasons. His issues have come with injuries, missing 102 games from 2013-17.
The deal represents a solid haul for the Suns, who land a first-round pick despite the public nature of their split with Bledsoe. Monroe has an expiring contract and has generally appeared to be a poor fit since signing in Milwaukee as a free agent in 2015.