Rockets Wire explains how Sixers can acquire Eric Gordon in a deal
The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of trying to put the right pieces around Joel Embiid and James Harden as they move forward with contending in the Eastern Conference. They have made moves to bolster their bench, but they also need to bolster their overall talent.
They certainly need another shooter next to Harden and Embiid in order to properly space the floor and one guy they have their eyes on is Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon.
The 14-year veteran averaged 13.4 points and he shot 41.2% from deep during the 2021-22 season, and he did a lot of good things for the Rockets that he can bring to a contending team like the Sixers. However, Houston values the veteran and they did not like Philadelphia’s trade offer for him.
However, there are some obstacles that the Sixers will have to overcome in order to acquire Gordon and our friends at Rockets Wire helped out with how a trade can go down.
The obstacles
Rockets GM Rafael Stone would like a draft pick for Gordon in any deal that isn’t too late in the draft order. However, because of the NBA’s Stepien rule, the Sixers are not allowed to trade a first-round pick until 2029. Therefore, making a trade involving just the two of these teams would be a tough challenge.
The biggest asset the Sixers can offer a young team like the Rockets is Matisse Thybulle. The 3-year wing player out of Washington is one of the league’s elite defenders, but he has not yet been able to consistently contribute on the offensive end of the floor. He also doesn’t have the salary that Gordon does so Philadelphia would have to give up more to absorb Gordon’s salary.
Rockets Wire on how a trade can go down
Thus, the most reasonable path looks to be a three-team scenario. In this hypothetical, the Sixers could get Gordon if a third team flips a respectable draft asset to Houston in exchange for Thybulle and perhaps other Philadelphia players (for salary matching). That future draft asset could give Stone considerably more options than what he would have with Thybulle, whose value would decline if he struggled to find minutes.
With that in mind, the challenge is whether the Sixers and Rockets can find a third-team facilitator willing to give up that type of asset for Thybulle. Clearly, it hasn’t happened yet. But it is a long offseason, and both Philadelphia and Houston have ample incentive to try and figure something out when considering Gordon’s age — which seems to fit better with a team like the 76ers that wants to win in the short-term.
Looking at possible third teams
When it comes to Thybulle, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks are two teams that have an interest in Thybulle. Those are the two teams at the moment that can possibly make a 3-team deal work in order to send Gordon to Philadelphia. At this point, he seems like the player that president Daryl Morey is trying to add to his current core.
More Sixers news and notes
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Will Eric Gordon be with the Rockets to begin the 2022-23 season?
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