The Philadelphia 76ers definitely made an inexcusable mistake with their latest move in free agency.
In what quickly turned out as a very unpopular move on the team’s part, the 76ers brought back Eric Gordon to the tune of a one-year deal, reinstating the 36-year-old on the roster just a few days after the veteran himself opted out of his deal to hit the open market.
Philly signed Gordon for approximately $200,000 more than what he would have made under his old deal had he opted in. A lot of people already expected him to go elsewhere in free agency, but as it turned out, his maneuver was a mere ruse for him to extract a little bit more money out of the team’s already-tight pockets.
Without a doubt, this is the worst move yet in the entire offseason. Gordon has no more reason to remain in Philadelphia. However, the 76ers, for some reason, remain allured by what he can bring to the table — and at this point, there is not a lot.
The 76ers made a huge mistake re-signing Eric Gordon in free agency
Gordon knocked down north of 40 percent of his three-point tries last seson, but the sample size is way too little to tout him as the knockdown shooter they badly needed to round out the roster, especially off the bench.
Further, his more limited attempts and a red-hot month saved his numbers. Prior to that fiery stretch, he shot under 30 percent from the field, also draining his triples at the same meager rate.
The 76ers badly needed front court help, so the front office deciding to bring Gordon back becomes all the more perplexing. If anything, Philadelphia should have one of the best back court rotations in the league, especially if the team manages to come to terms with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes on a new deal.
Next season, Gordon merely projects as a third-stringer at best. Realistically speaking, the only way for him to land a consistent role is if everything goes badly for the 76ers with their main gunners at the guard positions when it comes to injuries and inexcusably poor play.
To wit, this is nothing more than a huge waste of a roster spot. The Philadelphia 76ers can no longer afford to hand out contracts to veterans who have very little left in the tank, and bringing back Eric Gordon, who is a one-trick pony at this point in his career, obviously runs afoul of the front office’s prior statement that they would pursue all avenues to get younger this summer.