Eric Gordon, a seasoned guard, may finally be available for trade from the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have kept Gordon despite being in the middle of a rebuild since trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021. Still, the team is now more open to trading Gordon than at any other time since that Harden trade, per The Athletic.
Gordon, who is 33, is averaging a career-low 11 points and one rebound per game this season, but as a career 37 percent long-range shooter, he could still play a smaller role for a contending team and still be a reliable floor-spacer. Gordon wants to be dealt to a contending team while he still has value because the Rockets are still a few years away from being a severe Western Conference force.
According to The Athletic:
This saga may be resolved this season after the Rockets rejected offers for Gordon at every possible opportunity, including the draft, offseason, and trade deadline. Rockets are likelier to move the 33-year-old than at any point in the previous two seasons, according to team and league sources who spoke to The Athletic.
The Rockets have previously come close to moving Gordon a few times, but this abrupt paradigm shift has several layers. Compared to the other players on the roster, Gordon is unquestionably older than them.
A team could trade for Gordon this season without committing to the aging veteran’s long-term future because of his non-guaranteed team option, even though he is making over $19 million this season. According to The Athletic, the Rockets are interested in getting a young player or a future first-round pick in exchange for Gordon. The team already has a large number of very young players on its roster, so it isn’t as interested in adding another first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft because it already has two first-round picks in that draft.
The sacrifice a team will be willing to make for Gordon at this stage of his career is still up in the air, but interest will undoubtedly be high. Many groups coveted Gordon during the offseason, including the Philadelphia 76ers, who weren’t the only ones. Before the trade deadline in February, Houston should anticipate receiving a ton of calls regarding Gordon.