New Orleans Hornets make it official; Match Phoenix Suns offer for Eric Gordon – NBA News
The New Orleans Hornets, as expected, have matched the Phoenix Suns offer for restricted free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon, retaining him for the next four seasons.
The Suns had offered Gordon a four year $58 million max deal and the Hornets had until 11:59 pm on Saturday to match the offer. Despite numerous statements by Gordon signalling that he wanted to play in Phoenix, the Hornets matched
the offer, living up to the claim that he was considered as the future franchise player of the Hornets.
“There is always a business element to the NBA when dealing with contracts, but I never lost my appreciation for the New Orleans fans. I look forward to giving my very best on the court this season to make our team successful,”
said Gordon in a statement that was released by the team.
The Phoenix Suns were looking forward to pairing Gordon with newly acquired point guard Goran Dragic in the back court. The news comes as a disappointment for the team, who will now look to sign either Courtney Lee or O.J. Mayo
to strengthen their backcourt.
"While we are disappointed that Eric will not be a Sun at this time, we have no regrets in doing all that we could under the rules to bring him to Phoenix," said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.
Gordon will start his 5th year in the NBA in October. He played his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, and averaged 22.3 points and 4.4 assists in the 2010-2011 season. The combo guard was traded by the
Clippers just before the 2011-2012 season started, in a three team trade that landed Chris Paul in Los Angeles and sent Gordon to the Big Easy.
Although Gordon played only 9 games for the Hornets last season due to knee injury, he still averaged 20.6 points and 3.4 assists. In the 9 games he played, the Hornets had a win loss record of 6-3. Gordon was also nominated in
the preliminary roster for the U.S Olympic team, but was narrowly defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder 6th man James Harden for a spot on the final 12 man roster.
Gordon refused to sign a four year contract extension with the Hornets during the regular season and decided to become a free agent in the summer. He received a max offer by the Phoenix Suns in free agency, and said he felt the
Suns were more serious about pursuing him. He was also unsure about his future in the club after the Hornets drafted shooting guard Austin Rivers in this year’s NBA Draft instead of going after a big man. However, he was re-assured of his position in the team
when the Hornets started Rivers at the point guard position in the summer league matches.
The Hornets have assembled a great team after re-signing Gordon and landing number 1 draft pick Anthony Davis this year. They also have rookie Rivers and forward Ryan Anderson joining the team for next season, making them a contender
for playoff qualification.
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