Why in the world did the Philadelphia 76ers front office decide to re-sign Eric Gordon? To this day, it makes very little sense, if at all.
Completely wayward from what Daryl Morey and his cohorts committed to doing before the offseason even began, the team went ahead and re-signed Gordon to another one-year deal in free agency just when everyone thought he was slated to leave after he initially declined his player option.
Gordon’s addition (or reinsertion) simply made no sense from a basketball standpoint. Aside from a hot stretch last season, he was completely unplayable on both ends, and the 76ers having one of the most loaded guard rotations in the league made him pretty expendable.
A lot of fans were irate about the move, and rightfully so. Aside from having veteran leadership and being another locker room presence, Gordon offered virtually nothing, and it is very easy to make a prediction about him rotting on the bench next season.
Huge mistake gets even worse as 76ers front office feigns ignorance
Do what you will about Gordon being a good third fiddle guard, but pegging him as a locker room leader — a good one at that — would be a complete mistake.
Remember when the 76ers had a players-only meeting early last season when they started off really slow? There was a lot of frustration about how the details of that meeting were spilled to the public, and recently, Joel Embiid touched on the topic. Somehow, a lot of fans speculated that he was referring to Gordon.
As a result, the fact that the 76ers brought him back became an even more abrasive bit for fans. However, the veteran himself swiftly came to his defense, strongly denying that he was the one who leaked the contents of their erstwhile player-only meeting.
Embiid claimed that he knew who the snitch was, and until he reveals who it was (which is extremely unlikely given the optics of the situation), there is really no way of uncovering the identity of that person. One thing is for sure, though — the 76ers have a huge problem on their hands if that individual is still on the roster.
Judging from the players the 76ers retained this offseason, there is a strong chance that is one of their veteran commodities. After all, it is unlikely that the younger cogs will have the audacity or perceived moral ascendancy to spill the beans.
The Philadelphia 76ers may have a very talented cast next season, but if the remnants of this incident subsist, the team will have a tough going when it comes to braving through adversaries — which they will most likely have a lot of.