Houston Rockets: Is an Eric Gordon trade on the horizon?

Is Eric Gordon going to be a part of the Houston Rockets’ future? 

You can critique the Houston Rockets about their return in the trade of James Harden, but you can’t nitpick this team about how they’ve handled the offseason thus far. And it all started with an excellent performance at the 2021 NBA Draft.

With four first-round draft picks, the Rockets managed to pretty much change the outlook of the franchise in one night. And it all started by selecting Jalen Green with the No. 2 overall pick.

Green looked the part in summer league as he was explosive on the offensive end and played up to his draft selection. After averaging 20 points and four rebounds per game on 51 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent shooting from 3-point range, Green looked like he’s ready to take the league by storm.

The great thing about Green’s performance is that the Rockets’ great draft didn’t stop there. In addition to Green, the Rockets rounded out their first-round by selecting Alperen Sengun (No. 16 overall, via trade), Usman Garuba (No. 23 overall), and Josh Christopher (No. 24 overall).

Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Rockets will have four first-round picks with the promise of growing into foundational developmental pieces for the franchise.

Are the Houston Rockets ready to pivot away from their veterans?

As exciting as their future is, however, it leaves some of the other elder players on their roster in flux. Houston only currently has three players over the age of 30 on their roster – D.J. Augustin (who was acquired by the Rockets at the NBA Trade Deadline last year), John Wall, and Eric Gordon.

Wall reportedly is not going to play for the Rockets this season. Does that mean the team will look to trade the other two 30-year-olds in an attempt to make time for their young developmental pieces?

According to a recent report, while Gordon isn’t going to the Rockets to demand a trade, he very much would be open to one.

So, the question is, is this is how the Rockets are going to operate this season? After making their intentions with Wall clear, is Gordon going to be next? Gordon is still a good player at this point in his career and could help a contending team. He’s probably a player that could be easily traded and likely the one veteran on the roster that offers real value on the open market.

Perhaps the team is going to wait out to see how their young guards look early in the season. However, the last thing that the Rockets need is to have veterans eating the minutes that could be going to their young players.