The Boston Celtics’ No. 1 priority in the 2019 NBA offseason is to bring back All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent next July. Once they succeed to secure Irving’s future in Boston, the Celtics are expected to be more aggressive in surrounding him with players who could help them fully dominate the Eastern Conference and win an NBA championship title. Re-signing Irving would consume a huge chunk of their salary cap space, giving the Celtics’ limited flexibility to improve their roster through free agency.
Luckily, the Celtics have a plethora of trade assets that they could use to go after quality players who will be available on the trade market next summer. As of now, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis emerged as the Celtics’ top trade target. However, according to Jesse Cinquini of the Celtics Wire , the Celtics may also consider targeting Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets.
After suffering a massive defeat from the hands of the reigning NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Rockets are reportedly planning to make a huge roster overhaul next summer. According to a Twitter post by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN , Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has made all players and future draft picks available in trade discussions.
The Rockets have reportedly expressed their willingness to move some of their core players, including Eric Gordon if the right deal comes along. As Cinquini noted, trading for Gordon will immediately address one of the Celtics’ weaknesses in the postseason which is three-point shooting.
“His ability to score the basketball from all over the court and make plays for himself and others, a trait that not many players on this Celtics roster possess, would undoubtedly be beneficial for Boston. Furthermore, Gordon is an elite three-point shooter which is a nice incentive to trade for the veteran playmaker. One of the C’s biggest weaknesses this postseason was their sub-par three-point shooting, as for the entire playoffs they shot just 34.3 percent from deep. Gordon, who shot 40.0 percent from three this postseason and 37.0 percent from three for his postseason career, is a player that Boston should aggressively target this summer.”
Should the Celtics look to trade for Eric Gordon? https://t.co/Yt9Lb74syg
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 1, 2019
Unlike Anthony Davis, the Celtics won’t be needing to empty their treasure chest to bring Eric Gordon to Boston. Cinquini believes that a trade package centered on the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft would be enough to convince the Rockets to make a deal. Having a player like Gordon will undeniably make the Celtics a more competitive team in the 2019-20 NBA season. With his ability to shoot the ball off the dribble and make a play for himself, Gordon could form an incredible backcourt tandem with Kyrie Irving in Boston.
