One year after Eric Gordon earned a maximum-salary contract in free agency, there's a chance he'll be on the move this summer. An unnamed general manager suggested to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio earlier today that Gordon is one of the likeliest candidates to be dealt this offseason (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Andrew Perna of RealGM.com hears from a source that the Pelicans are making Gordon "very available" in trade talks.
Assuming Gordon is indeed available, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise. When he addressed the media at the end of the regular season, GM Dell Demps didn't rule out the possibility of a trade involving Gordon, and was reluctant to commit to the young guard being back in New Orleans next season. Reports at last season's deadline also suggested that the Pelicans were exploring potential deals, and were likely to revisit talks in the offseason.
Gordon signed a four-year, max offer sheet with the Suns last July, and released a public statement suggesting that his heart was in Phoenix, essentially asking New Orleans not to match the offer. The Pelicans did match the offer, but they may have been just as interested in hanging on to an asset as they were in keeping Gordon long-term.
A player is ineligible to be traded to the team with whom he signed an offer sheet for one year after inking the deal, so Gordon will become eligible to be traded to the Suns next month.