Report: Timberwolves offering Eric Bledsoe max contract in sign-and-trade play

With just over a week until training camps open, Phoenix Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe remains an unsigned, restricted free agent.

Bledsoe reportedly wants a max contract, while the Suns reportedly want to keep him around at a lesser price. So far, no teams have come forward with he type of offer sheet Bledsoe covets. Until now, apparently. The Minnesota Timberwolves - who have reportedly been engaged in talks with the Suns about Bledsoe for some time (read the storyline below) - appear set to make a late play for the talented guard.

According to a report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Wolves "are offering Bledsoe the four-year, $63 million maximum-level contract he has been seeking," although that type of offer would require the Suns to agree to a sign-and-trade, since Minnesota doesn't have the requisite cap space to make that offer outright.

Whether Bledsoe would be open to Minnesota is another question, but if the team really is prepared to offer the 24-year-old max money, it's easy to see him being swayed. His only other option appears to be playing the season out on a one-year qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, a risky proposition for any player, let alone one at a deep position who has some knee troubles on his profile.

Essentially, Bledsoe would have two options, if the report is accurate: a future in Minnesota with the contract he wants, or taking on a great deal of risk to control his future next summer.

And of course, all of this is moot if Minnesota can't put a trade package together that satisfies the Suns, who have all of the leverage here.

If a deal does go down, it casts a bit of doubt on Ricky Rubio's long-term future in Minnesota. Rubio will find himself in Bledsoe's situation as a restricted free agent next summer if he and the Wolves don't work out an extension by Oct. 31. While Rubio and Bledsoe would be a devastating defensive pairing, and could play together on offense, it seems unlikely the Wolves would move forward with a pair of point guards making significant money.

One final element to consider: Minnesota has said it will take its time with a Rubio extension, and leaking their interest in Bledsoe could be a means of gaining leverage in those negotiations. Jon Krawczynski of Associated Press lends credence to that notion, citing sources who say the Wolves are focused on a deal with Rubio, not on Bledsoe.