The last three years have not exactly gone as planned for Eric Gordon. He signed a four-year max offer sheet with the Suns in 2012 and made waves by publicly asking the (then-) Hornets not to match, proclaiming that his heart was in Phoenix. New Orleans matched anyway, and since then, he’s continued to battle with injuries pretty much constantly and saw his reputation go from one of the league’s premier up-and-coming shooting guards to one of its worst contracts.
But now, healthy and playing well, Gordon says he’s happy in New Orleans and regrets handling his restricted free agency the way he did.
From John Reid of the Times-Picayune:Admitting he’s more mature, Gordon acknowledged for the first time this week that he should have handled things differently than he did three years ago. When asked if he wished he could take back saying Phoenix was where his heart was, Gordon said, “For sure.”
''It was business, a tour for them to use and for me you know I got this contract because of them,’' said Gordon, who has a year remaining on his current contract and is not likely to opt out this summer to explore free agency. ''That was the thing, but I’ve always believed in myself.’'The not opting-out part is obvious. Gordon is slated to make $15.5 million next season, and he wouldn’t get anything close to that on the open market with his injury history. But it’s good that he’s found a home in New Orleans and wants to stay there. Getting to play with Anthony Davis certainly doesn’t hurt things.
