Report: Hornets to match Suns' Eric Gordon offer on Saturday

The Hornets are expected to match the Suns' contract offer to Eric Gordon on Saturday. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Despite protests from Eric Gordon, the Hornets are expected to match the Phoenix Suns’ four-year, $58 million offer sheet on Saturday to keep him in New Orleans, The Times-Picayune's John Reid reported.

Gordon signed the maximum contract offer sheet with the Suns on Wednesday, the first day free agents could sign with teams. The Hornets have 72 hours to match, so they'll have to do so on Saturday. By waiting for most of the 72 hours, the Hornets effectively blocked the Suns from chasing any other free agents.

Gordon has come out with strong opposition to the Hornets matching the offer, saying that his "heart" was in Phoenix and that he didn't feel respected by the Hornets during the process. He said he'd be "disappointed" if the Hornets matched the offer, and that there was nothing the organization could do to change his mind.

The Hornets traded point guard Jarrett Jack this week, which should alleviate some of Gordon's concerns about sharing time at shooting guard with draftee Austin Rivers.

Last Sunday, Hornets coach Monty Williams said that he was not upset at Gordon, saying he expected the controversy to "blow over" with time.

“I don’t take it seriously. What Eric said is not who he is. It’s unfortunate because people at home are pretty upset about it,” Williams told The Times Picayune on Sunday. “Everywhere I go, somebody’s got something to say. What I would say is ‘Let’s understand how we were when we were 23.’ Give the kid some mercy. We still love him. We’re not upset with him. We understand the process. It’s unfortunate that it happened this way, but that’s just a part of it.”