3 trades that get Eric Gordon to a contender

Eric Gordon Trade to a Contender #1: Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs

The Philadelphia 76ers have been linked to Eric Gordon as Daryl Morey looks to reconstruct the 2018-19 Houston Rockets in Philadelphia. However, as this trade shows, getting him to Philadelphia will most likely require a third team. Fortunately, the Spurs are entering a rebuild and have cap space, which makes them the perfect dumping ground for contracts. 

To open up enough space to bring in Gordon, the Sixers will need to send Tobias Harris to the Spurs and Matisse Thybulle to the Rockets. The Spurs will also send Doug McDermott to the Sixers who would be a nice fit alongside both Joel Embiid and James Harden. 

However, to get the Spurs to take on Harris’ contract, the Sixers will need to ship a first and second-round pick out. In the end, each team gets what they're looking for. The Rockets get a defensive ace in Matisse Thybulle, the Sixers add shooting and future salary flexibility, and the Spurs get assets. 

With the Rockets drafting Jabari Smith Jr and Tari Eason, Thybulle may not be all that enticing to the Rockets. However, this is still a player who has made two All-Defensive teams in three NBA seasons. The torture chamber the trio would put opposing guards in would make a CIA Blacksite blush. 

Gordon and McDermott are both excellent floor spacers that should help Philadelphia have one of the league’s most devastating offenses. The Sixers missed Seth Curry after they shipped him to Brooklyn to land Harden. Gordon would help fill the spacing and secondary ball-handling void that Curry left, and McDermott is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. 

The Spurs would have to play ball for this deal to work, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t. Landing a 2029 first from Philadelphia could end up being a steal, and Harris, entering the final year of his deal next season, could be a real trade chip. 

The question remains, would the Sixers be willing to move Tobias Harris to bring in Eric Gordon? Harris, while overpaid, is still a better player than Gordon. The chances that Gordon reunites with Daryl Morey, James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Danuel House in Philadelphia remain low, but if Tobias Harris can be moved, it becomes a lot more likely.