New Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is slowly getting his dream roster.
According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Saturday, free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon has agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with Houston.
Sources: Eric Gordon's deal with the Rockets: Four years, $53M
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 3, 2016
Gordon, 27, averaged 15.2 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, and 2.7 assists per game for the Pelicans last season, but was limited to just 45 appearances thanks to a twice-fractured finger on his shooting hand.
The former Indiana Hoosier had long been considered unlikely to return to New Orleans, and now he joins forces once again with Pelicans teammate Ryan Anderson, who agreed to his own four-year deal with the Rockets earlier in the day on Saturday.
Gordon is a career 38.3 percent shooter from downtown who can play in tempo, making him a sublime fit for a D’Antoni offense. But he comes attached with the stigma of a very nefarious injury history, which is probably why the Rockets were able to get him at such a cheap price relative to what the rest of the shooting guard market has been commanding this summer.
A natural two-guard, Gordon likely won’t be able to run with the Houston starters at that position thanks to the presence of James Harden. But as Gordon has aged and lost some of his spring due to injury, he has developed into more of a spot-up shooter who you can slot at either wing spot (Gordon played roughly 27 percent of his minutes last season at the small forward position, the highest of his eight-year career per Basketball Reference). Health permitting, Gordon should be able to provide the Rockets with some nice floor spacing and lineup versatility moving forward into next season.
