Ryan McDonough questioned the leadership of Eric Bledsoe and the advice he is getting from his agent, Rich Paul, during a radio interview.

Bledsoe was sent home by McDonough as the Phoenix Suns search for a trade for him. The Suns also asked Bledsoe to sit out at the end of last season to improve their lottery position.

“I was certainly surprised by it and disappointed by it,” McDonough said. “I think Eric’s a good person. I think he’s unfortunately gotten some bad advice and is listening to the wrong people. I think generally, any time you sign a contract, it doesn’t only work one way. It works both ways, and for a guy with years on his contract to say or intimate he didn’t want to be here anymore, I didn’t find that to be appropriate, and I think if he says he wants to be a leader, that’s the opposite of what a leader does and the opposite of what leadership is. So I think that’s all I’m going to say about that.”

Bledsoe expressed it was time to move on while management replied that the Suns have underperformed since he was given starting point guard responsibilities. 

“I think, just my opinion, the shift comes from contractual demands made by his representatives,” McDonough said of Bledsoe's desire to move on, “and that’s what I was referring to when I said I think he got bad advice.”

Later in the interview, McDonough tripled down on his criticisms of Bledsoe’s representation: “[Eric’s] a talented player and a good player, but like I said, I think he’s just being a little bit misguided at the moment with some of the advice he’s getting.”