Indiana Pacers: Which Indiana natives could return home?
By Luke Parrish
Will the Indiana Pacers trade for Eric Gordon?
An early rumor this summer has been trade discussions between the Pacers and Rockets. Houston owns three picks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft but is looking to package one of their later picks with a player to move up.
Speculation out of Indiana is that the Pacers are open to trading the 13th overall pick for a veteran with multiple years on his contract. That leaves many to believe that the Pacers and Rockets could work out a deal with Eric Gordon and the 23rd overall pick going to Indiana in exchange for the 13th pick and Jeremy Lamb.
However, the Pacers simply cannot afford to make a move of this nature. Gordon is set to make at least $18 million dollars per season over the next three years and has not been able to stay healthy in recent years.
Trading a lottery pick for a 32-year-old role player with an injury problem is not the type of move one would expect the Pacers to make, especially with the current roster already in place. Adding Gordon would only create more questions in the second unit with so many worthy players but only a handful of minutes to share.
Rather than slowing the growth of Edmond Sumner and even Aaron Holiday, the Pacers could avoid trading for Gordon and look elsewhere for a veteran impact.
Verdict: Do not trade for Eric Gordon