The Phoenix Suns appeared to be limited financially after they traded for Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and have four players under max contracts. That did not prevent them from signing a very important player to their team, Eric Gordon.
The Suns have coveted Gordon, the NBA's 2017 Sixth Man of the Year who played last season for the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets, since 2012. Phoenix made a four-year offer sheet to Gordon in restricted free agency, and even though he expressed his desire to play with the Suns, his team at the time, the New Orleans Hornets, resigned him.
Gordon will now join the Suns in arguably their best hope at a championship in franchise history. He could be either the team's fifth starter or headline a bench unit that must produce behind Beal and superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Here is how ClutchPoints reviews Gordon's signing.
Strengths
The Suns' free agency class was headlined by Gordon, who will be in his 16th NBA season this fall. Gordon was traded to the Clippers, where he played his first three years in the NBA, in February from the Rockets.
Gordon and the Clippers faced the Suns in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Phoenix won the series in six games, but Gordon was a factor in the first two games of the series. He hit three and four 3-pointers, respectively, and stretched Phoenix's defense as it tried to contain superstar forward Kawhi Leonard.
Gordon will get plenty of open looks in Phoenix, which will have defenses try and scheme around Beal, Booker and Durant. If Gordon is the Suns' fifth starter, he should have plenty of catch-and-shoot opportunities. He shot 37 percent on catch-and-shoot threes in 2022-23 and has stretched defenses while playing around stars.
From 2016 to 2019, Gordon played next to James Harden and former Sun Chris Paul with the Houston Rockets. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2017, when he shot 37.2 percent from 3-point rage. He played in 75 games that season, the second-best total of his career.
Gordon has limitless range. He can fire from several feet beyond the 3-point line and is a threat. Teams have to be aware of his positioning on the floor at all times, which is an advantage for the Suns in their offensive planning.
Even if Gordon comes off the bench, teams will have to be wary of him and free agent signee Yuta Watanabe, who shot a very high clip from corner and catch-and-shoot threes in 2022-23. The Suns will have the opportunity to attack the basket with pick-and-rolls to Deandre Ayton, Drew Eubanks and Chimezie Metu and stretch the floor.
Phoenix assistant coach Kevin Young could be the team's coordinator on offense. He helped schemes in the Suns' last few years under Monty Williams, when they were often a top team in efficiency. Gordon will be a bail-out option from deep if the Suns ever get stuck in an offensive set.
Gordon, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, is also a physical on-ball defender. He uses his body well to make offensive players back up in their sets, which is an advantage to the Suns on defense. Coach Frank Vogel should get a lot of effort out of Gordon, who is 34 years old and well-respected in the NBA.
Gordon should fit in next to the Suns' starting backcourt with Booker and Beal. He can rotate well off-the-ball and play a role like he did in Houston. This is a great opportunity for him to make an impact and win a championship, which is very likely why he took a minimum deal to play in Phoenix.
Development
The Suns know what they will get out of Gordon, so it is unreasonable to fully expect he will grow into a player he has not shown to be.
Gordon is a great shooter and will provide a scoring threat for the Suns in the halfcourt and in transition. Unfortunately for Phoenix — which does not have a true point guard — it cannot expect Gordon to come in and be a point guard who distributes. He has averaged 4.4 assists as his career-high in the NBA.
Gordon is used to playing off stars and will be comfortable in that role with the Suns. Durant may be the Suns' best isolation player, but he does not dribble as much as Harden. Gordon will be forced to shoot around the perimeter off drives from the Suns' top players, so it may be a quicker pace than Houston.
The Suns scored bigtime with this signing. Gordon would have been an important player for Phoenix if he signed with the team after it changed eras from Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and co. Now, Gordon will play in Phoenix for a chance to win the franchise's first-ever NBA championship.
If the Suns win the title, their signing of Gordon will have been worth the wait.