The LA Clippers elected to waive the final year of Eric Gordon’s contract to make him an unrestricted free agent. Here are three sensible landing spots.
Eric Gordon was on the books for $21 million in 2023-24 until he wasn’t. The Los Angeles Clippers elected to not guarantee the final year of Gordon’s contract, making him an unrestricted free agent and saving $110 million in luxury tax penalties along the way.
Gordon will undoubtedly have plenty of suitors. The 34-year-old is a step slower than he used to be, but he still started 47 games for Houston last season and averaged 24.9 minutes per game in varying roles for the Clippers after the trade deadline.
The Clippers would have preferred to keep Gordon on the books, but that number — and the pursuant tax — were simply too high. Now, Gordon will have his pick of contenders in need of cheap 3-and-D wings to fill out their rotations.
Here are three potential destinations that make the most sense.
No. 3 potential Eric Gordon landing spot: Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers’ financial outlook will depend largely on the size and length of James Harden’s contract if the All-Star guard does indeed return. Gordon could probably fetch a decent payday, but no contender is going to spend top dollar — or even the full mid-level exception — for Gordon’s services. One has to imagine the vet is interested in winning after toiling away in Houston for a couple years.
Well, what better locale than Houston East. The Sixers have remained steadfast in their commitment to reassembling Daryl Morey’s Rockets dream team on the east coast. Gordon has familiarity with Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Danuel House. Jr. — plus he’s just an obvious basketball fit for what the Sixers need.
Gordon’s defense has declined in recent years; that’s always the first area of slippage with undersized guards in the advanced stages of their career. Despite being listed at 6-foot-4, however, Gordon has a wide base and excellent positional strength. He’s comfortable guarding bigger wings and he should be able to share the floor with Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and De’Anthony Melton.
On the offensive end, Gordon remains a knockdown 3-point shooter with deeeeeep range spotting up. That’s all Philly needs to know. Embiid and Harden have both experienced the greatest success of their careers when surrounded by shooters. Gordon can also dribble, pass, and attack closeouts — a nifty set of attributes shared by strikingly few members of the current roster outside the ‘Core Four.’