Reports are mixed as to whether the Rockets will actually move veteran guard Eric Gordon by the NBA’s Feb. 10 trade deadline for the 2021-22 season. Though the 33-year-old doesn’t seem to fit with Houston’s rebuilding timeline, the team values his influence on younger players, and he is under contract for at least one more season after this year.
Thus, general manager Rafael Stone could wait until the 2022 offseason to execute a deal. Then again, with Gordon continuing to defend at a high level and shooting a career-high 50.0% from the field and 44.5% on 3-pointers, perhaps the time is now to maximize his value.
Should the Rockets determine that to be the case, they are confident in landing a first-round draft pick for Gordon’s services. In Thursday’s story, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report writes:
In conversations with rival teams, the Rockets have conveyed a confidence they will receive a first-round pick in exchange for Eric Gordon before the Feb. 10 buzzer.
The sticking point in talks could be the year and protections on such a pick. For example, Cleveland has repeatedly come up as a potential Gordon suitor, with a plausible package of this year’s first-round draft pick along with the salary of Ricky Rubio (injured) for matching purposes.
Yet, the Rockets reportedly aren’t interested in additional 2022 picks, since they already have two (their own and the higher of Miami and Brooklyn’s picks) along with a current roster that is deep in young players. Given that Houston’s roster features four first-round draft picks from 2021 and two promising second-year players in Jae’Sean Tate and KJ Martin, it would be hard to find playing time for a third 2022 pick.
Thus, Stone appears to be more interested in picks that are in 2023 and beyond. The Rockets would also prefer any picks they acquire to have as little protection (i.e. allowing the original team to keep the pick if it falls within a certain range) as possible, thus offering more upside. Given the depth of young players that Houston already has in place, the Rockets appear to be focused on quality over quantity, at this stage.
As a result, while it certainly sounds encouraging that Houston has confidence in securing a first-round draft pick for Gordon, whether it’s the right type of pick to meet those desires remains to be seen.
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