Eric Gordon Says No to Hornets Contract Extension, Will Become a Restricted Free Agent

By:
Published: January 25, 2012

Eric Gordon has said no to the Hornets last contract extension proposal and will enter the market as a restricted free agent this summer, according to Yahoo’s Marc Spears. Hornets247 sources have confirmed this info

The Hornets reportedly offered Gordon a four-year deal for what sources tell Hornets247 was roughly worth a little over 50 million dollars, and he said no in the closing hours of Wednesday night. Midnight ET was the deadline by which extensions had to be completed. Without a deal in place, Gordon will head to restricted free agency this summer, where the Indiana Placers (who have long coveted the Indiana born and raised shooting guard) are expected to make a play for him.

While the Hornets will be able to match any offer made to Gordon in free agency, it’s well known that the Pacers crave a player like Gordon both on the court and off. They will likely be willing to offer top dollar (4 years-58 million, maximum) for Gordon, and the Hornets will be forced to match that if they want to keep their currently injured star, who has played in just two of 18 games this season.

In a worst case (highly unlikely) scenario for the Hornets, Gordon would just accept the one year qualifying offer that the Hornets will make this summer, but it’s only for 5.1 million, significantly less than the 12.5+ million a year the deal the Hornets have already offered him. If he were to take the 5.1 million, he would enter unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2013 and could choose his own destiny, but the Hornets would still possess the ability to offer him more money and years than anyone else.

Hopes will remain high that the organization will get him under a long-term contract this summer, but there is no mistaking the short term disappointment that comes from news like this. The Hornets had been on a fairly long winning streak (off the court, of course) prior to this. Today marks a distinct let-down on the business side of things. The Hornets wanted to lock down their alleged superstar, the fans wanted him to be locked down, and Gordon himself wanted to be locked down.

In the end this could wind up just being an afterthought of an otherwise beautiful relationship between Gordon, who thought he wasn’t offered enough money, and the Hornets, who thought their offer was more than fair. At the same I can’t help but wonder why this decision came down to the wire, why Stern only gave his approval yesterday, and why we still have yet to hear specifics about what is wrong with Eric Gordon’s knee. Only when those questions are answered will we truly be able to paint a complete picture and understand the full implications of what took place this evening.

Until then, I suggest each and every one of us take some advice from signs, artwork and graffiti around the city– Think that you might be wrong.

60 Comments

  1. Pingback: Eric Gordon Has a Knee Contusion, Will Miss 3-6 More Weeks | New Orleans Hornets | Hornets247.com

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.