The Houston Rockets recently announced they are going to be aggressive this summer as they hope to improve their roster. Basically, everyone on the roster not named James Harden is available, but only for the right deal. Well, one of their most attractive assets is veteran guard Eric Gordon, who averaged 16.2 points and shot 36 percent from beyond the arc.
There will be a lot of teams who will be interested in acquiring Gordon, but they will have to be willing to let go of valuable assets as well. There are a lot of benefits in trading for him and one of those is his expiring contract. Gordon will be paid around $14 million next season, and any team who will get him will be able to clear a significant amount of cap space that can be used in the 2020 free agency market.
So, with that being said, here are the three ideal destinations for Gordon.
Just like the Rockets, the Celtics are looking to bounce back next season after being eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the playoffs. One of the things they will need to address this summer is their 3-point shooting, which is obviously one of the team's weak points last season. Trading for Eric Gordon will help solve that problem.
Sure, the Celtics' main priority this summer will be Anthony Davis, but if they strike out on him, they will need to move quickly. If they convince the Rockets to trade them Gordon for a package that's centered on the 14th overall pick, then that will be a huge acquisition for the Green Gang. Convincing incoming free agent Terry Rozier could help sweeten the deal for Houston as well.
Now, there's no guarantee trading for Gordon will convince Kyrie Irving to stay with the Celtics, but even if he goes, Boston will still be able to utilize Eric because of his strengths. Whether he starts or come off the bench, the Celtics can expect consistent production from the sharpshooting guard.
Gordon can do a lot of things on the offensive end. He can create shots for himself and he can also make his teammates better. He will definitely help the Celtics no matter what happens with the Irving situation.
A lot of people are saying that the Lakers wasted the first year of LeBron James on the team by surrounding him with a meme squad rather than guys who can shoot. The Purple and Gold can correct that mistake (and they should) this offseason by trading for Gordon.
History suggests LeBron has always thrived in a system where he's surrounded with guys that can consistently hit 3-pointers. Well, Gordon is one of those guys. But there's another great benefit that the Lakers can get from Eric, and that's the fact that he can also serve as a point guard.
Whenever Chris Paul is out with an injury, the Rockets relied on Gordon at the point, and it worked wonders for them as he was a great compliment to James Harden. He can have that same success with the Lakers, especially since it is pretty obvious that Lonzo Ball is still a work in progress.
What can the Lakers offer to Houston? Definitely not the fourth overall pick. A sign-and-trade involving either Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Reggie Bullock, as well as someone like Josh Hart should make this deal work. They can also throw in some future picks if necessary.
The Blazers have been one of the best teams in the league over the past couple of years. However, they can't seem to get the job done in the playoffs. Just this past season, they reached the Western Conference Finals but were swept by the Golden State Warriors. One of the main reasons behind that is the lackluster production from their second unit.
Being able to acquire Gordon from the Rockets will strengthen the Blazers' bench, as he will be able to provide shooting and consistency to the team. He can also serve as a backup to either Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum, which will be great for the team.
However, Portland does not have enough assets to trade for Gordon. A package that includes Meyers Leonard, Zach Collins, and the 25th pick in this year's draft might not be enough, so they might need to look for a third team to make things work. However, if the Blazers manage to acquire Gordon from the Rockets, it will be huge for the team.
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The success of trading for Gordon will depend on the Rockets' motive this summer. Will they be looking for equal value, expiring contracts, or young assets and picks? But whoever will be able to acquire Eric from Houston will definitely have a good start in their offseason.
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