New Orleans Hornets counting on Eric Gordon despite contract issues – NBA Update
The New Orleans Hornets have revealed that they have not given up hope of tying down guard Eric Gordon to a long term deal at the club. Gordon rejected the Hornets’ offer of a 4 year extension raising doubts over his commitment to the team recently.
Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said that the contract issues with Gordon were only a temporary setback and the franchise still considers him an important player in the near and long term future. Demps was of the view that although some issues had resulted
in Gordon not accepting New Orleans’ offer, the mess will be sorted out sooner rather than later.
"It's a situation where we talked, thought we came close to an agreement and it just didn't work out, but we are still very optimistic we can get something done this summer," Demps said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "It's not a big issue.
It's not a situation that is uncommon. ... There are other measures that you can use to sign Eric to a long-term contract and that's our goal."
Gordon only arrived at the club this season in a trade that sent super star Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon was one of a few talented players that the Hornets received, alongside a future draft pick.
His though arguably the most valuable of the lot and the trade almost collapsed initially when the Clippers believed New Orleans were asking for too much when including him in their proposal. Gordon’s shown his value since coming over and made an impact
before injury confined him to the sidelines.
The player also spoke about the situation as present and although he didn’t rule out signing an extension with the Hornets he did make it clear that a deal had to make business sense to him. The guard indicated that he would like to deal with the issue later
as he wanted to concentrate on helping the side on the court at the moment.
"We all worked hard on the extension, but sometimes business is business," Gordon said. "Right now my sole focus is on staying in great shape, and making sure I get back to 100 percent health as quickly as possible so I can return to playing.”
What Eric’s rejection of a contract extension means is that he will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Hornets wouldn’t want to lose him so early after losing Chris Paul, so expect them to match, or exceed, any contract offer he receives from another
NBA franchise.
The Hornets are still owned by the NBA and it is unlikely the Commissioner David Stern will allow the franchise to let go of a player billed as a future star.
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