Mar 3, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) defends against New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (10) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Spurs defeated the Pelicans 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers: Eric Gordon is a Possible One-Year Rental
Eric Gordon could help boost the Philadelphia 76ers’ offense for a year.
In 2012, Eric Gordon looked to leave the New Orleans Pelican after signing a four-year, $58 million qualifying offer with the Phoenix Suns as a restricted free agent when Alvin Gentry was the Suns’ head coach. But general manager Dell Demps matched the offer immediately.
The New Orleans Pelicans guard has showed flashes of his undeniable talent as a scorer in the NBA before his season ended prematurely between nagging injuries
Injuries have been a significant part of Gordon’s career since joining the league. He played in only nine games out of a possible 82 in his first season with New Orleans in 2011-12 but during that time he averaged an impressive 20.6 points per game. Gordon’s production began to dip after that, while his durability continued to cause issue, missing 40, 18, 21, and 37 games respectively over his next four seasons in the NBA.
The Pelicans are done with the Gordon experiment, according to John Reid of NOLA.com:
“It appears unlikely the Pelicans will make a push this summer to re-sign Eric Gordon when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Pelicans actively shopped Gordon before last month’s trade deadline but couldn’t get a deal done. There’s also could be some motivation on Gordon’s part to seek a new start with another franchise.”– John Reid
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | AST | STL | PTS ▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 56 | 56 | 37.7 | .450 | .364 | .506 | .825 | 4.4 | 1.3 | 22.3 |
| 2011-12 | 9 | 9 | 34.4 | .450 | .250 | .486 | .754 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 20.6 |
| 2012-13 | 42 | 40 | 30.1 | .402 | .324 | .450 | .842 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 17.0 |
| 2009-10 | 62 | 60 | 36.0 | .449 | .371 | .525 | .742 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 16.9 |
| 2008-09 | 78 | 65 | 34.3 | .456 | .389 | .529 | .854 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 16.1 |
| 2013-14 | 64 | 64 | 32.1 | .436 | .391 | .498 | .785 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 15.4 |
| 2015-16 | 45 | 44 | 32.9 | .418 | .384 | .521 | .888 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 15.2 |
| 2014-15 | 61 | 60 | 33.1 | .411 | .448 | .512 | .805 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 13.4 |
| Career | 417 | 398 | 33.9 | .435 | .383 | .507 | .814 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 16.6 |
| 5 seasons | 221 | 217 | 32.3 | .420 | .390 | .495 | .819 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 15.3 |
| 3 seasons | 196 | 181 | 35.8 | .452 | .375 | .519 | .810 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 18.1 |
At age 27, the former Hoosier is still a talented scorer, shooter, and secondary play-maker who can help any team — but when healthy. The Philadelphia 76ers lacked scoring from the shooting guard position (25th in scoring at the position), and the team lacked veteran presence. Gordon might be in a Rajon Rondo situation, looking to revive his career on a one-year deal.
With the salary cap rising to a possible $92 million, Philadelphia has nothing to lose when it comes to a one-year gamble with Gordon. And with the Sixers possibly drafting Ben Simmons, Gordon could fit well with the rookie.
Injury concerns aside, Gordon will still have a market for his services because the NBA places such a premium on perimeter shooting.
Gordon’s ability to shoot and create for himself and others makes him an ideal fit for the Sixers. Gordon missed a lot of games during his five-year stint in New Orleans (221 to be exact), but he averaged 15.3 points per game.
The Sixers lacked consistency from beyond the arc in 2015-16, and the veteran can help bolster that. Gordon shot an impressive 39 percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game last season and 44 percent on 6 attempts per game in 2014-15.
Colangelo might as well take a buy-low gamble this summer.
