Former Hoosier Eric Gordon Agrees to Sign With Phoenix Suns
Guard Eric Gordon, by far the longest tenured current NBA player from Indiana, has a new team. He's agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns, who will be the fourth different NBA franchise he's played with during his 15-year pro career. Gordon was first drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers as a one-and-done prospect out of Indiana back in 2008.
The news was first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Previously a member of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Clippers, Gordon joins a star-studded Phoenix Suns team as a much-needed depth piece alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
Gordon was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year during the 2016-17 season and has scored 13,119 total points in his career. He has often been coveted by contending teams for his three-point shooting and driving acumen on the offensive end of the floor
Nearing two decades since he left Bloomington as a 19 year-old pro prospect, signing with Phoenix gives Gordon his best chance yet at finally winning an NBA championship.
Gordon started the 2022-23 NBA season as a member of the Houston Rockets, who once again floundered to one of the league's worst records as they continued their rebuild. He was later moved to the Los Angeles Clippers at the NBA trade deadline and averaged 11.0 points per game while shooting 42.3 percent from three in 22 regular season games with the Clippers.
The Clippers waived Gordon last Wednesday to avoid having to pay his $20.9 million non-guaranteed salary for the 2023-24 season. Only the first three years of his four-day deal were guaranteed. The Clippers are far over the league's salary cap, so this move saves them more than $100 million in tax penalties, according to league sources.
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