Rockets general manager Rafael Stone made it clear at the 2022 trade deadline that Houston wasn’t interested in trading veteran guard Eric Gordon simply to trade him. While the 33-year-old is in the awkward spot of being a win-now veteran in a clear rebuilding situation, the Rockets value both his on-court and off-court influence for younger players.
The price would need to be right to the team, and Stone reportedly wanted more than a late first-round pick in 2022 to move Gordon.
Remember, Gordon had the highest true-shooting percentage and field-goal percentage last season of his entire 14-year NBA career, and the second-highest percentage on 3-pointers. He has plenty of game left.
Could that showing, along with now having only one fully guaranteed season left on his contract, potentially be moving the Gordon trade market into a spot that is more lucrative to the Rockets?
From Kelly Iko of The Athletic:
The Rockets would require a first-round pick or a younger player who could help them now to move off Gordon. The conversations surrounding Gordon are a bit more frequent now than they were around last year’s trade deadline, but that’s expected with the draft this week.
With the reality of the incoming No.3 pick and possibly more, second-year forward Kenyon Martin Jr. recently approached Rockets management to discuss the possibility of a trade from the franchise, sources told @TheAthletic. https://t.co/WoVo5OOqop
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) June 20, 2022
Iko adds that while contending teams have been monitoring Gordon’s situation, the Rockets don’t have any strong desire or pressure to move him. Again, for Stone, the price needs to be right.
That said, the fact that the market is more active than February is noteworthy. Whether a trade gets to the finish line is another matter.
