Rockets guard Eric Gordon talked about his new four-year extension on Saturday in a series of tweets from Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. Gordon and the team reached an agreement late Friday night on a deal that will pay him roughly $75.6MM.
The deal includes a unique clause that guarantees the final year only if he makes an All-Star team or Houston wins a championship. Gordon will make $14,057,730 this year and was set to be a free agent next summer.
He has been a productive scorer for the Rockets, averaging 16.8 PPG since signing with the team in the summer of 2016. He has also put together his three healthiest seasons since he was a rookie, appearing in 75, 69 and 68 games over the past three years.
“Definitely means a lot,” Gordon told Berman. “We knew we needed to get it done before the season started. I knew how important I was to them and how important it was to me to be on a really good team and do well. … Houston is home. It’s very special. It’s definitely exciting. I’m all about team success and me being a big part of that. They know my work ethic. They know my kind of leadership and what I bring to the table. Ownership wants to win.”
Gordon is the latest key piece of Houston’s foundation to reach a long-term agreement with the team. James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Clint Capela are all under contract through 2022/23, while P.J. Tucker is hoping to receive an extension as well.
“It made the decision even easier,” Gordon said. “Now that we’re here for a long time, it’s easier to do what’s necessary and right to win the championship.”
Easy decision indeed. Another year like the last one and he’s in 2/15 territory.
PJ Tucker prob a bit sour until they do him right.
The way the Rockets starting lineup is going to look like, they’re not spending nearly as much at the guard position as people think because Harden is actually a SF now. At 6’5″, 220 he has the size to play there so he’s really more of a point forward now than a point guard.
Westbrook will be the PG and Gordon will be the SG, while Tucker’s at PF and Capela is the center. Austin Rivers will be the backup at PG/SG, Gerald Green at SG/SF, and Danuel House at SF/PF. They can alternate backup duties at center between Tyson Chandler and Nene with Chandler getting most of the minutes there.