Eric Gordon
According to Athenic, Eric Gordon still has the potential to be the Rockets' starting player this new season. Gordon, the player who has played for the Rockets the longest since 2016, will become a veritable "veteran" of the Rockets. Gordon can be a mentor to young players and help them grow steadily. The Rockets have had three more rookies this year — Jabari Smith, Tarry Ethan and Tate Washington.
Gordon
Gordon's presence as a starting small forward provides the Rockets with elite-level shots, while his projection abilities expand the Rockets' offensive space. Although Gordon is about to turn 34, he can still keep up with the speed of offensive and defensive conversions. Previously, it was reported that the Rockets would consider making Tary Ethan the team's starting small forward after a period of time. But I think it's clear that Ethan can't take on such a task at this stage. Compared to Gordon, Ethan is not comprehensive enough and not experienced enough, so he can observe Gordon's performance more, learn more from Gordon and further improve his comprehensiveness.
Jaylen Green
Of course, Eric Gordon must make way for Jaylen Green so that Green can grow better. Last season, Gordon became Green's mentor, helping him through the most difficult period of his rookie year. Green had a lot of problems during the season, especially the shooting problems that shook his confidence, but green played better and better in the second half of the season, especially after correcting the shooting posture, Jaylen Green once again showed his talent as a shooting guard. The Rockets clearly want Gordon to help the rest of the team's youngsters as well.
Eric Gordon
Gordon also needs to limit his shooting options, which will give young people more opportunities and win the respect of young players. Of course, if Gordon is traded, he can also help another playoff-level team. Gordon played in 57 games this season, averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the free throws.
Gordon
After Harden left, Gordon spent a beautiful year on this team. Gordon's shooting has been excellent throughout the season and he has hit a lot of key shots. Last season, Gordon was 18.2 percent on the job and 61.4 percent true shooting. Gordon has 14 years of NBA experience, and he can not only open up space on the court, but also make a direct impact on the basket, shooting 65.2% near the basket last season.
Pelinka
As of now, the teams interested in Gordon include the 76ers and Lakers. The Rockets are hoping for a first-round pick in return for Gordon's trade. The 76ers were able to offer a first-round pick and Sebel, but the Rockets now have Ethan and they obviously don't have much interest in Sable. In addition, the 76ers offer relatively low draft picks, and the Rockets clearly want to trade Gordon to get a relatively high-level first-round pick. The Lakers can also provide first-round picks, but the Lakers are now eyeing players Kyrie Irving and The Pacers' Hield, both of which the Lakers have to pay for first-round picks. Therefore, only after the Irving and Hield trades have completely failed, the Lakers may consider exchanging Eric Gordon with a first-round pick.
Christopher
If Gordon is actually traded, it will give Ethan, Washington and Christopher more playing time. In addition, the Rockets have bought out Wall for $40 million, and they will have $71.1 million in salary space in the 2023 offseason, giving the Rockets ahead of the league in salary space. I think the $71.1 million salary space and Texas' superior tax policy will help the Rockets attract other free agents in the summer of 2023. Of course, other teams can also free up salary space through operation, and the top 11 teams currently ranked in salary space are:
1. Rockets (71.1 million)
2. Piston (62.9 million)
3. Walkers (47.7 million)
4. Kings (41.5 million)
5. Jazz (41.4 million)
6. Magic (31.5 million)
7. Thunder (29.2 million)
8. Knights (28.9 million)
9. Grizzlies (20 million)
10. Wasps (20 million)
11. Lakers (19.1 million)
Head coach Silas and general manager Stone like Gordon on their roster and they know what kind of help Gordon can offer to the team's young players. Gordon knows how to demonstrate role models in the NBA, which is perhaps the real reason he's still appreciated by the coaching staff and management.