The New Orleans Pelicans have been going through and up and down season in 2013-14 and that has led to some trade speculation involving both Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson and as the NBA trading deadline gets closer more news will come out regarding both players and teams like the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves or Sacramento Kings could be interested.
Gordon has been mentioned in trade rumors since the Pelicans acquired both Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday and now it appears that he could be on his way out as well. Gordon tried to sign with the Phoenix Suns as a restricted free agent a couple years ago, but the Pelicans kept him with a large contract matching that deal and while he has played well at times, he has not lived up to that deal yet and that could be a reason why he gets traded. The deal runs through the 2016 season and while the Pelicans have a number of young stars, they may feel that it's time to move on from him and since he previously said he didn't want to stay with the Pelicans, it's interesting to see how it turns out.
According to the Sporting News, Gordon could be moved in a three team deal if the Pelicans can find any takers and the main issue is the contract that the team signed him two nearly two years ago with a four-year, $58 million offer sheet. The Pelicans have been dealing with a number of injuries this season, but not to Gordon for once and he has been averaging 15.6 points this season and the reason he likely will be dealt is money, as he is owed $14 million this year and $30 million over the next two seasons.
Anderson has been mentioned in the Omer Asik rumors to the Houston Rockets and that could still go down, but with Anderson injured, things could be tough for New Orleans. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Anderson could be out for two months after dealing with a herniated disc and it may require surgery and that would sideline him for an extended period of time and there is a chance that he could even miss the rest of the season. Anderson was injured after hitting Gerald Wallace against the Celtics in early January and he has been solid hitting over 40 percent from long range and averaging nearly 20 points per game and he would be a nice fit for Houston, as he previously played with Dwight Howard.
"Obviously, I want to get back as soon as possible, but this is something that if I got hit again, it could be more than just career ending. I want to be careful about it," Anderson said to the Associated Press. "We're going to find out pretty soon how it's healing and depending on if it's healing (on its own), then we'll just keep going with that. But if not, we'll do the surgery."