With only five games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Philadelphia 76ers should be able to officially bid adieu to what has been a miserable campaign marred by the proverbial injury bug and multiple down years from their key players.
Aside from maybe a couple of silver linings, there is not a lot of reason for anyone to look back on this season fondly. The 76ers, after all, managed to completely overturn the initially lofty expectations levied on them. Instead, they proceeded to put out one of the most disappointing single-season performances by a team in recent memory.
Still, even though the season is still technically not over for Philly, fans can already infer which players are unlikely to return to the team in their next campaign. Naturally, the front office will deem it fitting to pursue the boldest changes it is capable of making in hopes of giving the team a stronger case to make a big comeback.
The 76ers will definitely part ways with Eric Gordon this summer
An expected casualty of this expected minor roster turnover is Eric Gordon. The veteran scorer inked a one-year, minimum deal with the 76ers last year, and while he is pretty harmless to keep on the roster given his expected price tag, there is also not a lot going for him with respect to preserving his staying power with the franchise.
Gordon, who is already 36 years of age, must probably be contemplating retirement at this point in his career. An ill-timed injury cut his season short as he last played nearly a couple of months ago, yet even when he’s healthy, his age-related decline was pretty apparent, if not altogether glaring.
The former Sixth Man of the Year finished the season draining 40.9 percent of his threes, suggesting that he was as good as advertised as a spot-up option. But in reality, he underperformed for most of the season, only being saved by a hot stretch in January where he drained nearly 53 percent of his threes-point tries.
Even if his production stabilized, there is really not much reason to keep Gordon, especially in account of the better in-house alternatives on the roster. He cannot really create for himself anymore, and his once-pesky defense has become quite negligible. He is also not much of a playmaker. To be frank, he is a one-trick pony at this juncture.
Hence, the Philadelphia 76ers will most likely let Eric Gordon slip into retirement or find another taker in free agency. He was far from a disaster, but he likewise did not move the needle as much as the team expected him to in roder to warrant another deal to return next season.
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