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While the Phoenix Suns and Eric Bledsoe found themselves embroiled in a negotiating standoff this summer, the offseason drama had more to do with the vagaries of restricted free agency than any lack of interest on Phoenix's part in keeping the 24-year-old guard in Arizona. As their eventual five-year, $70 million offer made clear, the Suns have an awful lot of respect for the damage that the Kentucky product can do with his explosive athleticism ... and now, so does Jared Cunningham. [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball: Sign up and join a league today! ] Cunningham, 23, was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and promptly shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in a five-player deal . The 6-foot-4 guard has had cups of coffee with the Mavs, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, but has spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the D-League, and caught on with the Clips for training cap looking to grab a roster spot in L.A. or, failing that, other teams' attention and consideration for gigs down the line. Well, Jared, you've got our attention now: That comes to us from the third quarter of the Suns' Wednesday matchup with the Clippers, and it is pretty remarkable. Crossovers happen all the time; dudes get dropped to the floor a bunch of times every season in the NBA. They don't, however, tend to just jog off the court. Maybe they should — it'd undoubtedly be funnier if they did — but they don't. (Still: You've got to hit that jumper, Eric!) Our man @cjzero took the opportunity to commemorate the occasion by cueing up some Sarah McLachlan: Cunningham's plight caught the eye of Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson, who could only shake his head and sympathize: Points guards got it rough http://t.co/Z9lf7goVyN — Taj Gibson (@TajGibson22) October 23, 2014 That they do, Taj ... including, it must be said, Bledsoe, who got crossed up and shaken by Chris Paul during the second quarter of Wednesday's preseason contest: Bledsoe showed out in the Suns' second-to-last preseason tune-up, turning in a team-high 27 points on 6-for-12 shooting with two assists and two steals in 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. But his former teammate and "big brother" had the last laugh, pouring in 34 points (12 for 18 from the floor, 6 for 6 from the foul line) to go with nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes as the Clippers held on for a 108-105 win that new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sure seemed to appreciate: I know, man. I'm pretty excited about basketball, too. Vine via Cork Gaines . Hat-tip to SB Nation's Seth Rosenthal . More NBA coverage: - - - - - - - Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YourManDevine Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL , "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
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