Eric Gordon Agrees To Max Contract With Suns, Hornets Expected To Match

Hornets To Match Eric Gordon's Offer Sheet From Suns

When Eric Gordon officially signed his four-year $58 million offer sheet with the Suns, New Orleans was expected to match. Now, the Hornets have made it official, according to a report from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Gordon was the centerpiece of the return the Hornets landed for Chris Paul last December so it makes sense New Orleans would want to keep him, but now that he is officially back in the fold the two sides might need to mend their relationship a bit.

When Gordon initially agreed to his deal with Phoenix, he said he would be disappointed if the Hornets matched the offer sheet.

"If (the Hornets) were interested, there wouldn't have been no tour, there wouldn't have been nothing," Gordon said. "There's been no negotiations. I was right there in Indiana. I haven't received no calls, to me personally, they've contacted my agent.

"As for now, I don't know what's going on. (If the Hornets match) as of right now, I'd be disappointed."

That prompted Hornets coach Monty Williams to say the organization only wanted players who wanted to be there.

"I just think when you're going through free agency and you're talking about that kind of money, certain things are said and felt,'' Williams said. "At the same time, I'm not going to back off that stance: We want people that want to be here. If you don't want to be here, then we have to make some adjustments.''

It appears the comments will not have a lasting effect as Spears reports Gordon will state his commitment to the team and fans in an upcoming statement from the Hornets.

NO to soon release statement saying they've matched Eric Gordon's Suns offer sheet. Gordon states commitment to Hornets and fan appreciation

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 14, 2012

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side of the Sun and SB Nation Arizona.

Eric Gordon Officially Signs 4-Year, $58 Million Offer Sheet With Suns

After much talk about it, the Phoenix Suns have officially signed Eric Gordon to a four-year, $58 million offer sheet. The team announced the move in a release on Wednesday evening:

"We are excited that Eric Gordon wants to be a Phoenix Sun, and are gratified by his choice to play here," said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.

Unfortunately for the Suns, Gordon's choice to sign with Phoenix does not mean he will end up a Sun. The New Orleans Hornets can match Phoenix's offer sheet for Gordon and retain his rights — an outcome that Gordon has been vehemently against, saying he would be "disappointed" if the Hornets matched the offer.

New Orleans will have three days to match the offer, and are expected to do so. The two teams could also work out a sign-and-trade deal that would get Gordon to the desert and land the rebuilding Hornets some talent in return.

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side of the Sun and SB Nation Arizona.

Eric Gordon Will Be 'Disappointed' If Hornets Match Suns' Offer Sheet

Eric Gordon accepted a max four-year contract offer from the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, giving the New Orleans Hornets three days after the end of the moratorium period on July 11 to match the offer sheet. While the Hornets are expected to do so, Gordon is apparently unhappy with how the organization has negotiated with him this offseason.

"If (the Hornets) were interested, there wouldn't have been no tour, there wouldn't have been nothing," Gordon said. "There's been no negotiations. I was right there in Indiana. I haven't received no calls, to me personally, they've contacted my agent.

"As for now, I don't know what's going on. (If the Hornets match) as of right now, I'd be disappointed."

Gordon said that he would play in New Orleans, but he feels that the Hornets should have made a better offer than the four-year, $50 million deal they offered in January. He also said that he felt the Suns were "the right franchise for me" after accepting the offer sheet. The Hornets reportedly haven't backed off their intentions to match the offer sheet, however.

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side of the Sun and SB Nation Arizona.

Hornets Expected To Match Suns' Contract Offer To Eric Gordon, According To Report

As expected, the New Orleans Hornets will likely match the Phoenix Suns' four-year, $58 million contract offer to restricted free agent Eric Gordon, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. This comes as little surprise given Gordon's importance to the Hornets as the centerpiece in the Chris Paul trade last December.

New Orleans cannot officially match the Suns' contract offer until July 14, which is three days after the free-agent moratorium is officially lifted.

Gordon had already issued a statement noting that he felt the Suns were "the right franchise for me," among other things. However, the Hornets always had the right to match any contract offer, and they have plenty of cap space to absorb Gordon's new salary thanks to their June trade of Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards.

Gordon played just nine games last year, but emerged as one of the league's top young shooting guards in 2010-11 with the Clippers, averaging 22.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting. Assuming the Hornets do indeed match the Suns' offer, Gordon will team with Anthony Davis to lead the Hornets back to prominence.

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side of the Sun and SB Nation Arizona.

Eric Gordon, Suns Agree To Max Contract

New Orleans Hornets restricted free agent Eric Gordon has agreed to a max contract with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, according to Paul Coro of AZCentral.com. It is expected to be worth $58 million over four years.

The 23-year-old shooting guard is unable to officially sign the offer sheet until July 11, when the free agency signing moratorium ends. At that point, the Hornets would have three days to match the offer. Coro and other sources are already reporting that the Hornets will match the deal.

In a prepared statement (via AZCentral.com), Gordon already sounds like a player who wants to get out of the Big Easy:

"After visiting the Suns, the impression the organization made on me was incredible," Gordon said in a prepared statement. "Mr. Sarver, Lon Babby, Lance Blanks, the front office staff and Coach Gentry run a first-class organization, and I strongly feel they are the right franchise for me. Phoenix is just where my heart is now."

With the Hornets expected to match the offer, they will likely need to deal with a disgruntled player who has implicitly criticized the organization.

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Suns, visit Bright Side of the Sun and SB Nation Arizona.

NBA Rumors: Nets Expressing Interest In Eric Gordon As Deron Williams Backup Plan

After an earlier report indicated New Orleans Hornets restricted free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon would visit with the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers (his hometown team) and Phoenix Suns in search of a contract in the neighborhood of four years and $58 million, it appears another team is in the mix to try to pry Gordon away from the Hornets.

Nets have expressed interest in Eric Gordon, particularly as a replacement star if Deron Williams goes to Dallas, sources said.

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 1, 2012

Other reports have tied the Nets to seeking a potential trade for Hawks guard Joe Johnson while also expressing interest in the Rockets' Luis Scola and unrestricted free agent O.J. Mayo. They've already re-signed small forward Gerald Wallace for four years, $40 million in hopes of enticing Williams to stay. Williams may in fact be leaning toward playing in Brooklyn, if a New York Daily News report is to be believed. Still, Nets GM Billy King is going all in on being the most active team in the league this summer, it appears.

For more on the Hornets, check out At The Hive. For more on the Nets, visit NetsDaily and SB Nation New York.

NBA Rumors: Eric Gordon To Visit Pacers, Rockets And Suns In Search Of Massive Deal

Eric Gordon, a restricted free agent, is seeking a four-year deal worth $58 million, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard. To get that deal, the shooting guard will meet with the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns over the next three days, and the Portland Trail Blazers and possibly the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Bobcats after that, says Broussard.

The New Orleans Hornets can match any offer sheet signed by Gordon. They could also save folks some frequent flier miles by offering that deal to Gordon themselves. The two-guard played just nine games last season, but was the centerpiece of the club's Chris Paul trade in December. The Hornets drafted Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers on Thursday to help rebuild the club.

We ranked Gordon as the No. 3 free agent on Saturday, behind Deron Williams and Roy Hibbert, and projected a max or near-max deal.

For more on the Hornets, please visit At The Hive.

Ranking The 2012 NBA Free Agents: From Deron Williams To Hasheem Thabeet

We rip through the top 83 NBA free agents of 2012. And by top 83 free agents, we mean the 40 or so good players available and then 40 or so players named Matt Barnes or Baron Davis.