Houston Rockets: Which veterans deserve to stick around?

Houston Rockets: Does deserve Eric Gordon to stick around?

Eric Gordon is in a similar bucket as John Wall. He’s more of an average player at this point, older, injury-prone, and on a large contract. The Rockets would gladly move off of Gordon if someone came knocking but right now that doesn’t look likely.

However, there is a little more hope that Gordon can rebuild his trade value, which means the Rockets should look to keep him into the 2021-22 season. While Gordon’s 3-point shot continued to elude him for a second straight season, he set a career-high mark for efficiency on 2-point attempts with a 57.3-percent mark.

If Gordon is able to regain his 3-point stroke, a career 36.8-percent mark, and keep the gains he showed this past season on 2-pointers then he could suddenly become an interesting trade candidate. This past season, only 14 qualified players shot better than 36.8-percent from three and 57.3-percent on twos, with Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Christian Wood, and Michael Porter Jr being a part of that group.

What makes a Gordon rebound all the more exciting is that the vast majority of players on the 36.8/57.3-percent list are unable to initiate the offense, something that Gordon can do easily. Injuries are always a concern with Gordon, as well as the $37.8 million in guarantees, but he does possess some serious upside.

The Rockets should keep Gordon through this offseason unless someone absolutely blows them away. The final reason the Rockets should hang onto Gordon is that the final year of his deal is for a non-guaranteed $20 million.

That money could be crucial in facilitating a trade and has tremendous accounting value for the franchise. Either way, Gordon deserves to start the season on the Rockets and he has every chance to play his way to a contender, which would net the Rockets a nice little return.

The verdict: Keep and hope for a rebound

Next: Does D.J. Augustin deserve to stick around?