The Los Angeles Clippers surrendered a big package in February to reunite with guard Eric Gordon. However, the reunion turned out to be short-lived as the team will reportedly move on from the veteran and make him a free agent.
Gordon had one year left on his contract with a base salary of $20.9 million. But there was no guaranteed money left on the deal, so the Clippers were able to let him go and get some badly-needed financial flexibility.
Gordon started his career with the Clippers as the franchise’s seventh overall pick in 2008. After three seasons in LA, he embarked on stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets. The Clippers acquired him midway through the 2022-23 season in a trade with the Rockets that saw them give up Luke Kennard, John Wall, and swap rights. The Clippers ended up with the No. 30 pick instead of the No. 20 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft as a result of the trade.
Gordon was solid with the Clippers last season, averaging 11.0 points and 2.1 assists per game. He also brought the team reliable shooting behind the arc (42.3%) while contributing on the defensive end and filling various injury-related gaps in the lineup.
Despite this, the Clippers likely felt that they couldn’t afford to commit more than $20 million to a player that might not even start next season. Also, moving Gordon will give the Clippers ability to allocate his minutes to younger players.
