20. Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans (Unrestricted)
Remember the times whenever Eric Gordon was looked at as one of those NBA players that was always given the caveat “but if he can stay healthy…” and then people would go on and on about his potential as an NBA guard? That feels like it was a long time ago and that caveat is almost extinct in connection to Gordon’s name. Given the fact that he seemingly can’t stay healthy for a full season to save his life, it’s more a question of how many games is he going to miss as opposed to if he can stay healthy.
That being said, Gordon still has the ability to show flashes of real greatness when he is on the floor. Though his season was shortened tremendously this past year due to injuries (of course) with the New Orleans Pelicans (those poor souls), he had a handful of games in the 2015-16 season that really turned some heads around the league. He’s a versatile guard that can really fill it up from all over the floor when he’s healthy and on.
Given his issues with his health and given the fact that the Lakers aren’t exactly in a position with their rebuilding process where they need injury risks taking up chunks of their salary cap, it’d be mildly shocking to see them go after Gordon free agency. If his value dips low enough, though, it would be intriguing to see if the Lakers would take a look at him and take a minor gamble.
Next: No. 19 Clarkson