Getty Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ off-season movement has ground to a halt, as the team continues to deliberate on a potential trade for Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
Unfortunately, while all focus is on acquiring Irving, and moving on from Russell Westbrook, any other potential deals are falling by the wayside – which for a team that came into the off-season in need of an overhaul, is far from ideal.
One of the primary targets the Lakers have been linked to throughout this summer is veteran shooting guard, Eric Gordon – a sharpshooting, defensively sound two-guard with solid size for his position.
According to a July 27 newsletter by Marc Stein, it is likely that Los Angeles are standing pat on any secondary deals until they’re certain that Irving is either on or off the table.
“I tend to agree with the notion that the Lakers, above all, would also prefer to hold off on secondary trades, like the various Indiana options or a potential Eric Gordon deal with Houston until they know that acquiring Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn is no longer an option,” Stein wrote.
Lakers Have Expressed Interest in Gordon
According to a July 6 report by ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have made calls about Eric Gordon, as they looked to gauge his current value and what the Houston Rockets may be looking for in return.
“They’ve looked at other deals. They’ve continued, I know, to check on Eric Gordon in Houston. That’s certainly a player that interests them. Buddy Hield in Indiana. Different kinds of guards. Shooting guards. Certainly, both of those players, former Rob Pelinka clients,” Wojnarowski said during the episode of ESPN’S NBA Today.
Gordon was impressive during the 57 games he played for the Rockets last season, averaging 13.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 2 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 41.2% from three.
Irving Likely to Remain in Brooklyn
While the Lakers are clearly enamored with the notion of reuniting LeBron James with Irving, it seems as though they may have to wait until next summer, as according to a July 26 report by Shams Charania, Irving has decided to remain with the Nets for the final year of his contract.
“Kyrie Irving opted in with the full intent of playing out next season as a Brooklyn Net. From everything that I’ve been told, in his mind, he’s playing next year in Brooklyn – with or without Kevin Durant. Irving opted in, there was an understanding that he was going to make the best decision for himself, and Durant will be making his decision as well. From everything I’ve been told, Kyrie Irving has made his intent, he wants to play out next season in Brooklyn and be an unrestricted free agent next summer,” Charania told McAfee on July 25.
If Charania’s report is true, and the Lakers are informed of this by both Irving and the Nets front office, maybe now is the perfect time for them to switch their attentions to players such as Gordon and maybe even Buddy Hield – who the team has be tracking for quite some time.