Miami Heat Receive: G/F Eric Gordon
Houston Rockets Receive: G Kendrick Nunn, F Andre Iguodala, MIA 2025 1st Round Pick
Miami is in a tough position financially, which makes a trade for Eric Gordon quite confusing for their front office, but they could definitely make a trade for him work by trading away Andre Iguodala. Iggy is under contract with the Heat through the 2021-22 season and with him being owed $15M this season, he definitely puts some restraints on what this team can achieve in free agency or via trade.
Andre Iguodala is definitely an impact veteran player and is still regarded as one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA, but the Heat needs more offensive production right now than they need defensive, which is why Eric Gordon could end up being a better player in their system.
Kendrick Nunn is definitely a player Miami treasures and has plans for in the future, but right now, Nunn has seemed to take a step back from a breakout rookie season last year. During the 2019-20 season, Nunn averaged 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and shot 43.9% from the floor, 35% from three-point range.
He finished 2nd in the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year voting, trailing eventual winner Ja Morant and finishing ahead of the 1st overall pick, Zion Williamson. Moving forward, Nunn has a lot of potential to be a franchise point guard in this league, but he has seemed to be forgotten about in Miami’s rotations, making him a player that could be on the move at no cost to Miami.
This is now Eric Gordon’s fifth season in Houston and while he has been a great offensive player for them over the years, this organization seems to be moving in a new direction. They just traded away both Robert Covington and Russell Westbrook before the season and now with James Harden trade rumors continuing to circulate, it may be smart for them to look and trade Gordon, who is now 32-years old.
If this organization is looking to acquire young talent and draft picks, then it would make sense for them to trade away Eric Gordon, especially since they do not have a championship future without Harden and since Gordon is under contract for four years.
With all of that being said, let’s take a closer look as to why exactly this trade would make sense for both the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets.
