NBA Free Agent Rumors: Hornets Shouldn't Try Too Hard to Keep Eric Gordon

What should the New Orleans Hornets do if Eric Gordon decides to sign elsewhere this summer?

Simple—let him go.

That's right. If the centerpiece of the (NBA-redirected) Chris Paul trade wants to play outside of the Bayou, be it with his hometown Indiana Pacers—as has long been rumored—or with some other team, then so be it.

According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Gordon, a restricted free agent, plans to test the market once it opens up on July 1.

He was unmoved by the Hornets winning the No.1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft during Wednesday night's lottery.

That's perfectly fine.

Gordon isn't obligated to change his outlook one iota just because Kentucky's Anthony Davis is likely ticketed for New Orleans next season.

Nor does he need be swayed by whichever other prospect the Hornets pick up with the 10th overall selection, which accompanied EJ in the trade last December.

Neither are the Hornets obligated to splash cash on a kid who played in all of nine games this past season, while struggling with a right knee injury that landed him in surgery.

That, after missing 26 games the season before with wrist problems. He also missed 20 games the season before that.

The Hornets have already done their due diligence trying to keep Gordon on board for the long haul. They offered him a four-year, $50 million extension in January—he summarily turned it down.

He had every right to do so. If he wants more money to play somewhere else, then let him chase that.

For their part, the Hornets needn't cast their financial lot with a 23-year-old kid to whom the label "injury-prone" wouldn't be misapplied.

Sure, Gordon's proven himself capable of scoring more than 20 points per game, but what good does that do a team, the Hornets or otherwise, if he's not fit to play?

Not that bringing Gordon back to the Big Easy would be a bad move for general manager Dell Demps.

Gordon's an all-star-caliber shooting guard when he's healthy and, at his age, still has yet to play his best basketball.

If Gordon jilts the Hornets, they don't figure to be in pain for long, if at all.

Once they lock down Davis at No. 1, the Hornets should be able to pick up a dynamic guard—between Weber State's Damian Lillard, Duke's Austin Rivers, North Carolina's Kendall Marshall and Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb—at No. 10.

For a fraction of the price, and a fraction of the pain.

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