NBA Free Agents 2012: Why Eric Gordon Won't Leave the New Orleans Hornets

Eric Gordon may be considered the second-most important free agent after the Brooklyn Nets' Deron Williams. He is 23 years old, averaged 20 points per game last season and was the centerpiece of the Los Angeles Clippers' trade for Chris Paul.

Because of his scoring prowess, defense and young age, Gordon has become incredibly desired throughout the NBA, even though he only played nine games last season due to injury. The Hornets were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but Gordon will most likely sign a long-term contract with New Orleans during this offseason.

The main reason Gordon will stay is simple: Anthony Davis.

The Hornets just chose Davis with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, and he is already being considered a franchise-changer. He was even compared to Hall of Fame center Bill Russell by Louisville coach Rick Pitino after the NCAA semifinal game. This will allow Gordon to pair with a big man who can play great help defense and run the floor for easy transition buckets.

The Hornets also drafted point guard/shooting guard Austin Rivers—the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers—with the 10th pick in the draft. Although Rivers played shooting guard in college, he handled the ball most of the game, and the Hornets have a greater need at the point if Gordon re-signs.

Rivers will be a good complement because he will take some of the scoring load off Gordon while allowing him to play fewer minutes, since he has been injury prone.

Both of these picks are good motivation for Eric Gordon to re-sign because they are very young players and give the Hornets scoring and defense. This move also allows Gordon more seniority and decision-making options, as he will become a veteran player and leader to the younger draft picks.

More than either of those things, however, the Hornets are beginning to look like a winning team, and that has to be good motivation for Gordon, since they will have young talented pieces that he can potentially play with for a long time.

There has been speculation that Gordon is also heavily considering the Indiana Pacers. He is a good fit there because he was born in Indiana, played his college ball at Indiana University and sponsors an AAU team in the state.

This is not going to happen, however, because the Pacers already have players who they like at his position. Currently, Paul George plays shooting guard, and he is a player who Indiana is extremely high on.

While the Pacers could trade small forward Danny Granger and allow the 6’8" George to play small forward, that has not happened yet and does not seem likely. It is even less likely that Gordon would be willing to take a lesser role coming off of the bench, especially after his success so far. Because of that, there is no way that Gordon would go to the Pacers unless they manage to trade Granger this offseason.

Finally, the Hornets can simply offer Gordon more money on a long-term contract than other teams. They are allowed to pay a little bit more money per year as well as offer an extra year on his contract because of the new rules of the current collective bargaining agreement. Because of this rule, as well as the growing strength of the Hornets' roster, Gordon will remain a Hornet for years to come.