(The original article was published on January 13 by Kelly Iko of The Athletic website. The content of The article does not represent The translator’s point of view)
It is very interesting to build a feasible trading scheme, which can deepen the thinking of NBA games. The veteran is in a difficult situation to rebuild the team. Things around will become difficult and many things need to be taken into consideration. For example, Eric Gordon, a defender who has worked for rockets for many years, can be said to be one of the most embarrassing situations in the league.
The Rockets have missed the two-year playoffs, and it is likely that they will not be able to play the playoffs this year. Gordon, who has 15 years of NBA career, has no secret to leave the Rockets. Considering the situation of rockets, the influx of a large number of young talents and the salary space to be released, it is also meaningful for them to break up peacefully with Gordon.
There are some words to explain in advance: even though Gordon is 34 years old, he is still a talented NBA player. In the past six seasons, there have been five seasons. When Gordon was present, the rocket’s goal difference exceeded the league’s lineup of at least 70%. The only one who played a negative role was the 2019-20 season affected by the epidemic. There is a reason why Rocket coach Silas valued Gordon so much. Gordon is not the kind of veteran who will shout at you or ask you to gather at any time, on the contrary, these may be the characters needed by young rocket players, but it is better to have a veteran like Gordon sitting in the array than not.
Having said that, Gordon also has a certain responsibility for the rocket’s current poor performance. His usage rate, shooting performance and score are all lower than the average of his career, and the defensive end cannot maintain the high intensity as before. Gordon’s body language on the court does not look good, and his speech in public has obvious frustration. All this points to a place where rockets need to solve Gordon’s problem as soon as possible.
So, what exactly does the rocket want to exchange Gordon? What is the feasible trading plan? Kelly Iko of The Athletic website collected several trading schemes with high popularity on Twitter, and invited Gordon’s potential subordinate reporters to give their views.
Twitter hot solution 1
Knicks Get: Eric Gordon
Rocket: Derek Rose, Cam Reddish
The rocket’s asking price for Gordon has always been the first round of signing, but this plan seems that the rocket will at least consider it. The Rockets could not only get the first-ranking rookie redishi in 2019, who was extremely eager to play in another team and also had veteran guard rose. Rose will be 35 next season, and the contract is 15.6 million dollars, but as long as the Rockets are willing, they can refuse this plan at any time.
The point of view of Fred Katz, the Knicks accompanying reporter: with two players who have no chance to play at present, the Knicks must think about changing to a veteran who has refound the three-point feel in the past two seasons. The Knicks need to increase the threat of three points. If you can not give up the pick, or any rotating player will get Gordon, just start.
Twitter hot solution 2
Lakers get: Eric Gordon
The Rockets got: Patrick Beverly, Kendrick Nunn, the second round sign from the bull in 2023, and the second round sign in 2025
This plan did not make me feel bright at the moment, but we should lower our expectations for Gordon’s deal. Beverly’s return to the Rockets will have a huge impact on the dressing room, and it is undeniable that his game experience will be welcomed. Beverly 2.49’s assists and mistakes ratio is much higher than that of Jay Green and little Kevin PROTONIC. His style of play is also suitable for scorers like partners, not to mention his radical defense.
Jovan Buha, a reporter with the Lakers, said: I think the Lakers will seriously consider this deal. The Lakers are interested in any deal that does not force them to give up the first round of signing in the future. Gordon is not the former explosive scorer or marksman, but his offensive ability is obviously upgraded compared with Beverly and Nunn. In terms of defense, the 2.06-meter arm show and the 98kg weight allow him to defend a player higher than himself (1.93 meters). This is a small deal that allows the Lakers to improve the strength of the rotation lineup without giving up the first round of signing.
Twitter hot solution 3
Bull gets: Eric Gordon
Rocket get: Lanzo-Bauer
Considering Gordon’s age, I am not sure how interested the Bull is in players like him, but at least they will not dislike the wider field space. The bull is still 4 victories away from the 50% win rate. The attacking end of the league is at the mid-stream level, and the three points hit the top five of the league. Apart from drozan and Lavin, there were not many Bulls playing on the flank. If the bull does not plan to tear down everything next month and hopes to maintain certain competitiveness, then it makes sense to trade Gordon. But I can imagine that the bull will consider all schemes that do not involve Lanzo-Bauer, such as participating in some three-party transactions. I know Powell is unlucky in terms of injuries, but I think the rockets will accept this plan. When Bauer was healthy, the bull seemed to run well. He was a qualified organizer and shooter and could defend.
The view of Bull’s accompanying reporter Darnell Mayberry: bull can’t make this deal, which is equivalent to completely denying his hard-working lineup list, and also putting emphasis on betting on the results of this season. Powell is slowly recovering from knee surgery, and he has only played for the bull for 35 games. Now he is too ruthless to trade away.
Twitter hot solution 4
The King got: Eric Gordon, Garrison-Matheus
Rockets received: Alex Lane, Richard Holmes, Terence Davis, first round signing in 2026
I guess the King’s main purpose in making this deal is to get rid of Holmes’s contract and come up with a first-round seduction rocket, but is the rocket enough to sacrifice the future salary space in return? Perhaps the king could take advantage of Gordon’s personal relationship with McNair, the general manager who had worked in rockets before. There is a possibility that after Gordon came to the king, he and Monk led the replacements to perform very well. However, it seemed that the king paid too much for this, especially the first round signing, which could get better returns. Don’t get me wrong, I still think Holmes can still fight. He has won 10+10 data for three consecutive seasons. When he is in good condition, he plays a bit like Capella. It’s just that the rocket’s current rotation lineup has been difficult to free up playing time for this big man. Moreover, in the process of team reconstruction, it is meaningless to let a 29-year-old center play for half a season. This kind of transaction is more suitable for the offseason.
Danny Leroux, the King’s accompanying reporter, said that there were too many chips to give up for a player who did not fully meet the King’s needs. I like Gordon, but I don’t want him to defend the third place. The King already has players such as Hult, Monk and Fox. I think this deal is very good for rockets, but I think the king is not interested enough in it.
Original text: Kelly Iko
Compile: Li Taibai
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