Indiana Pacers: 3 players to avoid in a trade involving the 13th pick

The Indiana Pacers should stay clear from the oft-injured and aging Eric Gordon

Experienced scorers who can shoot from virtually any spot on the floor and defend the perimeter well should be sought-after pieces who can instantly improve the roster in theory. While veteran Eric Gordon fits those descriptions to a tee, his inability to stay on the court, among many others, should be enough on its own to avoid targeting him in a trade for the 13th overall pick.

The Rockets guard, in practice, has been one of the league’s most dangerous bench scorers for quite some time now, even winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2017. However, he has struggled to stay on the court in recent seasons, suiting up in only 131 out of 226 possible games in the previous three campaigns. Even when he played, he was inefficient shooting the ball, canning less than 32 percent of his triples in the past two seasons.

As a result, there’s little sense in moving the 13th pick for Gordon, even if it means that the Pacers can acquire their two first-round picks in the draft. His assortment of injuries, on-court inconsistencies and also, his hampering salary are far from ideal risks to take, even if he can immediately contribute to Indiana, a team desperate for playoff success.