The Rockets had at least six pre-draft trade offers for Eric Gordon, with most involving a first-round pick. But Houston general manager Rafael Stone declined them all, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
Going back to the February trade deadline, the Rockets have insisted that they wanted a first-round pick in a later year than 2022 for Gordon, since they already had multiple first rounders this year. Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, they also didn’t want it to be extremely late in the first round, since Houston has a higher opinion of Gordon’s value.
Even though Gordon is 33 years old and the Rockets are rebuilding, they value the veteran guard’s leadership and the ways in which his on-court strengths — namely, long-range shooting and defense — can make life easier for Houston’s young core and assist with their development.
Finances could be another factor. Gordon’s contract potentially expires after next season (there’s a team option for 2023-24), and many of the teams attempting to trade for Gordon — set to make $19.6 million in 2022-23 — might not be able to match salaries without including players who have multi-year contracts. If that’s the case, Stone and the Rockets may prefer to stay the course with Gordon and retain the 2023 salary cap flexibility that they currently have on the books.
After a potential deal for Eric Gordon to the 76ers fell apart on draft night, the 76ers recently reengaged Houston at the beginning of free agency, sources tell @TheAthletic.
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The Rockets were able to trade Christian Wood to Dallas for a first-round pick and expiring salaries, but that scenario was easier to match, since Wood had a lower salary. In addition, Houston had a clear incentive to move Wood and open up a starting slot for promising second-year center Alperen Sengun. There’s not a similar prospect who is blocked by Gordon.
Thus, for now, Houston is staying the course — though Iko speculates that a team who strikes out in free agency might eventually circle back to the Rockets with an improved offer for Gordon. Time will tell.
Iko reports that Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, and Phoenix were all among the teams whose Gordon offers were turned down. The latter three teams had proposals which included a first-round pick.
