The Suns are at a stalemate with Eric Bledsoe, their young dynamic guard who entered into restricted free agency this summer and might never return.
For Bledsoe and the Suns, the wait has been on since they could not come to an agreement on a deal. Bledsoe expected a maximum contract in the $80 million range, while the Suns came to the table with more than $30 million less.
Bledsoe's teammates also have to deal with the anticipation and unanswered questions. Anthony Tolliver, who signed a two-year, $6 million deal with Phoenix this summer, has not spoken to Bledsoe. He has that in common with just about every other player on the Suns roster, including star Goran Dragic, who keeps up with Bledsoe updates via Twitter.
Tolliver is in a unique position, because he never played with Bledsoe. He has the benefit of looking at the Suns from the outside, and he sees enough talent to compete within the Western Conference, with or without Bledsoe.
"I can't control where he goes or what he does, but at the end of the day, even without him, they still had a great year last year, a lot of wins without him," Tolliver said. "And then also you add Isaiah Thomas to the mix. Obviously, they're not same type of player, but he's also a big threat, somebody who can really fill up the basket and be another bigtime player for you.
"But, like I said, either way. If he comes, it's even better, but if he doesn't I think we still have a really good chance of playing really well."
Bledsoe played in only 43 games last season because of a meniscus injury, so the Suns have experience with having him somewhere other than the basketball court. Phoenix managed to finish the year with a 48-34 record and missed out on the postseason by one game.
Still, the potential for Bledsoe to outperform his start in Phoenix and raise the Suns up a notch is certainly there. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his first season as a starter. Of course, the Suns do have a solid backup plan in Thomas, who signed a four-year, $27 million deal. Thomas underwent surgery on his left wrist but is expected to be prepared for training camp on Sept. 30.
"It would be nice to have him back," Tolliver said of Bledsoe. "That definitely was something that made it a little bit more attractive. But if he's not, at the end of the day, it's a business and if he's somewhere else he's somewhere else."