He may be 33 but since Dec. 1 he's hitting 54% from the field and an astonishing 46.7% on 3's. I'd love to slot him in next to Garland. But why would they trade a really good player making $18 million this year for a guy who can't play and is making $18 million? I suppose the answer would be that they would rather not have him on the team next year than pay him $19.6 M in '20-'22. The Cavs would have to make the cap space to pay him that next year.
It seems the Rockets are not in the mood to trade Gordon. From The Athletic on Jan. 24:
One name that has been generating a good deal of interest is shooting guard Eric Gordon. The 33-year old is enjoying a bit of a renaissance campaign, shooting a career-best 45.2 percent from 3-point range, and has brought some stability and much-needed professionalism to a young Houston team. The Rockets have received a number of offers for the veteran wing, sources tell The Athletic, but all have been turned down. Barring an offer that simply can’t be ignored, it’s becoming more likely that Gordon remains in Houston past the deadline. There is a good deal of internal admiration for how Gordon carries himself on and off the floor and the work ethic he shows on a daily basis, characteristics the staff is trying to impart on some of their younger players. They are in no rush to ship him away, a much different situation than the one involving Tucker last season.
But the column also says:
The Rockets have made it clear what their priorities are right now: Continue to develop their young backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., as well as the other young players around them.
So is it worth paying a 34-year-old Gordon $19.6 million next year if their "priority" is to develop the Green/Porter backcourt and they realisticallly are not going to be a playoff team in '22-'23, which is the final year they're obligated to pay him?
According to sporran.com, the Cavs will have $13.9 million in "practical cap space" next year.
A real-time look at the salary cap totals for each NBA team, including estimated cap space, positional spending, and cap types.
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That does not include Sexton, who is a restricted free agent, or Rubio, Rondo, and Ed Davis. Just signing Sexton would put us over the cap. I don't see how we can afford a nearly $20 million player next year even if the Rockets would trade him. We'll also have a first round pick, although much less costly than what we've been drafting lately.