Phoenix Suns Receive: G Eric Gordon
Houston Rockets Receive: F Jalen Smith, G Jevon Carter, PHX 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #29)
Again, it seems very unlikely that the Suns would look to invest in Eric Gordon since he is owed $18.2M next season and $58.7M in total through the 2023-24 season, if he is not waived before then, but they could hypothetically make a trade for him work this offseason.
Moving Dario Saric ($8.5M) would obviously be the smartest thing to do financially, but the Suns do like the production Saric can give them behind DeAndre Ayton when he is healthy. Now with Saric out with a torn ACL, his trade value is very low and it seems very unlikely that any team would be willing to trade for him.
This leaves Jevon Carter and Jalen Smith as the only two options for Phoenix to trade away to acquire Gordon. Both guys are young players that Houston could be interested in, but it really does not seem plausible that the Suns could make this work nor would they want to make this trade work.
Eric Gordon is a guy who could definitely help the Suns given his ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor, but his price tag really is too hefty for them to take on.
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Cameron Payne and Chris Paul are their top priorities this offseason and while Paul may opt out to take a lesser contract, the Suns will still need to have enough money available to bring back Cameron Payne with their mid-level exception.
Trading for Gordon will not take away this MLE, but it will branch the Suns closer to the hard cap, which would directly affect the amount of money they would be able to spend in free agency. With this said, let’s take a look at if this trade would even make sense for both teams involved.
