The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this year after making the playoffs last season. However, the Pelicans have a legitimate excuse as they have been ravaged by injuries all season long, and many of those injuries were to key players.
The one player who stayed healthy through the early part of the season was Eric Gordon. We should have known that wasn't going to last as Gordon hasn't come close to playing a full season since his rookie year. This year Gordon has dealt with a fractured finger, but in the past he has dealt with all other sorts of injuries.
Gordon fractured the finger the first time a couple of months back. The 27-year-old shooting guard came back for four games earlier this month, but he was only able to play in four games before he re-fractured the finger. Gordon sought out several medical opinions on the finger to see if he needed surgery, and he finally decided to get the surgery. After the surgery was done the Pelicans ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
It could mean the end of Gordon's tenure with the Pelicans, as he is in the final year of his contract. With New Orleans Gordon hasn't been quite as good as the team had hoped, and he has also been constantly injured, averaging just 44 games per season. The Pelicans made Gordon available at the trade deadline in an effort to see if they could get anything in return for him. New Orleans was unable to swing any sort of deal, but they are still not expected to pursue re-signing him this offseason.
Anybody that has seen Gordon play knows that he is an extremely talented player who, when he is on the floor consistently, can be a huge help to his team. But aside from his injury issue, Gordon also struggles with inconsistency, and it may be wise for both sides to just move on.
Gordon will likely be looking for a fresh start elsewhere this offseason while the Pelicans can look in another direction at shooting guard or just choose to move forward with Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans as their starting guards. Gordon made more than $15.5 million this year, but he will likely take a significant pay cut wherever he decides to go next year, even with the salary cap rising. It is the wise move for both sides to move in opposite directions, and that seems to be the outcome we can expect.
