NBA Trade Rumors 2014 Update: New Orleans Pelicans Shopping Eric Gordon To Boost Frontcourt Depth
The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly looking to trade shooting guard Eric Gordon before the annual NBA trade deadline next month.
Sporting News, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Pelicans are getting active on trade front with Gordon as their trade bait and they have contacted several teams to gauge their interests in the 25-year-old shooting guard.
Sources also added that the Pelicans are trying to convince teams to engage in a three-team trade to make it easier for them to find a new home for Gordon.
The Pelicans, who are currently 12th in the Western Conference with their 15-20 record, want to get a frontcourt player in exchange for Gordon.
New Orleans reportedly wants a frontcourt player that can boost their defense and complement the game of rising star Anthony Davis and forward Ryan Anderson. The Pelicans recently signed Alexis Ajinca, but the move is widely believed as a stopgap solution for their frontcourt woes.
"Ryan and AD together against big forward-center combinations is a disadvantage for us sometimes on the defensive end," Pelicans coach Monty Williams admitted. "Lexi (Ajinca) being out there, it is certainly not a panacea for the whole deal, but we just have got to figure out ways to help our teams win games."
New Orleans also tried to trade Gordon during the offseason after acquiring Tyreke Evans from the Sacramento Kings and Jrue Holiday via a draft-night trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sources said that the Pelicans gauged the interest of the Phoenix Suns, who signed Gordon to a four-year, $58 million offer sheet in 2012 before New Orleans decided to match the offer to keep the former Indiana University standout.
However, the Suns expressed no interest, as they have already acquired Eric Bledsoe in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gordon, who is averaging 15.6 points on 43.9 percent shooting this season and has been healthy all season long, is expected to attract interest from teams looking for an additional scoring option.
However, sources said that getting a fair value in return will be unlikely for the Pelicans, considering the contract and concerns about the health of the six-year guard, who was slowed down by variety of injuries in his first two seasons in New Orleans.
"He has been healthy and he has played better," one rival executive said. "But he is a still a long way from living up to what you have to pay him. His contract is still the big reason they are not able to do anything with him at this point."