Rockets Rumors: Eric Gordon Unlikely to Extend Contract with Houston
Although Eric Gordon hopes to retire as a Houston Rocket, the veteran guard anticipates he'll test the free-agent market in 2020.
Gordon recently acknowledged to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen that the team approached him about an extension this offseason, but negotiations didn't get far.
"There was extension talks, but nothing really serious," Gordon said, per Feigen. "I would much rather be here as long as I can. Everything will work out. I'll be here another two years. We'll see what happens. I'll see how the next two years go, but I would definitely like to be here the rest of my career."
Gordon has two years remaining on his contract. He's set to make $13.5 million this season and $14.1 million in 2019-20, per Spotrac.
He's flourished since he joined Mike D'Antoni's system in 2016. He averaged 18.0 points (his highest total since 2011-12), 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season. He also shot a career-best 54.4 percent on two-pointers, and he converted 35.9 percent from beyond the arc while tying a career-high with 8.8 attempts per game from distance.
With Gordon providing quality depth behind NBA MVP James Harden and All-Star Chris Paul, the Rockets had the No. 2 offense, per NBA.com, and led the league in three-pointers by a wide margin. Houston (65-17) finished the regular season with the league's best record and fell to the eventual champs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Now that 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony has been added to the mix, Gordon could see more open shots as defenses have another scoring threat to worry about.
Some players may prefer to have the security long-term deals provide. However, Gordon is betting on himself to play well enough to command a bidding war when he hits the open market again.
Of course, risk is involved. Gordon will be 31 years old by the time his deal expires, and if he suffers a major injury over the next two seasons, his value could take a hit.
He made it clear he wants to remain in a Rockets uniform for years, but he wants to be paid accordingly to do so.
