Trading away James Harden last season ended an era in Houston, thus beginning a rebuilding process for the Rockets. Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr., and rookie Jalen Green have emerged as young leaders of this team, but it is going to take some time for this franchise to get back to being real threats to reach the NBA Finals.
As a result, the team is going to be looking to move veterans like John Wall, D.J. Augustin, and Danuel House Jr. ahead of the trade deadline this season. However, their most valuable veteran that could ultimately be on the move is Eric Gordon.
Since joining the Rockets ahead of the 2016-17 season, Gordon has been one of the most consistent offensive threats this organization has had other than James Harden. Being the last talent from the Rockets’ championship-contending teams over the last handful of years, Gordon has embraced his role as the veteran leader of this young team and is proving his worth to the rest of the NBA.
Eric Gordon will be turning 33-years-old on Christmas Day this year, but age is not the concern with him, it is his contract. Set to make $58.7M through the 2023-24 season, the veteran wing is not a cheap trade target for any team in this league, which is why many teams have not shown a ton of interest in him.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Eric Gordon Proving He Still Has Value In Trade Market
Skill-wise though, he still has a lot left to give in this league and is proving this given his recent performances. Houston has been dealing with several injuries to key talents like Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, which has resulted in Gordon getting more playing time and opportunities than imagined.
So far this season, he is averaging 15.1 points, 2.9 assists and is shooting 48.4% from the floor, 44.8% from three-point range. Eric Gordon has scored at least 10 points in 16 of the last 18 games he has played in and in the Rockets’ most recent game on Monday night in Atlanta, Gordon dropped a season-high 32 points to lift his team to a victory.
Again, many teams in this league are going to have a hard time targeting Eric Gordon because of his contract and while they definitely are pressed for cap space, the LA Clippers are a team that should be highly interested in Gordon.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Eric Gordon Proving He Still Has Value In Trade Market
With Kawhi Leonard out until sometime late in the season and Paul George needing some more help on offense, Gordon could be the perfect trade target for Los Angeles this season.
Could the LA Clippers make this trade work given that they are roughly $31M over the tax line for this season? There is one quick and easy way that they can make this deal work, which is assuming that the Houston Rockets are interested in this deal.
