ANKARA
NBA's Western Conference team Phoenix Suns has announced it has reached a deal with "restricted free agent" player Eric Bledsoe for $70 million over five years.
The deal came on Thursday after the 24-year-old guard rejected a salary of $48 million over four years, according to NBA.com.
President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said on the Suns website: "I learned long ago that it doesn’t matter how stormy the sea is, as long as the ship comes in, and today we are thrilled that the ship has come in and Eric will remain a Sun for a long time.
"He will be an integral part, not only of our basketball team, but our Phoenix community."
General Manager Ryan McDonough said: "We are thrilled Eric Bledsoe will be in a Phoenix Suns uniform for years to come.
"Eric is one the most exciting and dynamic two-way players in the league."
- 'Elite players'
"He played very well for us on both ends of the floor last season and we feel he is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the elite players in the NBA," he added.
Bledsoe said: "Lon, Ryan and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship.
"It’s why I came back to Phoenix. All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches. I am very happy it was able to work out this way."
Having been picked in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2010 NBA Draft, Bledsoe went to the Suns at the beginning of the 2013-14 season and got career high in 43 matches with 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assist averages.
Phoenix Suns completed NBA's Western Conference in ninth position last season and so missed the play-offs.
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