Why Warriors lost reported target Gordon to Suns in free agency
The Warriors reportedly were close to locking down free agent guard Eric Gordon, but a couple key factors appear to have knocked them out of contention.
Gordon's decision to join the Phoenix Suns came down to a matter of finances and fit, The Athletic's Anthony Slater wrote in a piece published Monday.
Per Slater, Gordon's reported two-year Suns contract includes a player option for the second season -- a structure the Warriors haven't "been willing to match" on minimum deals in free agency, as a player could pick up the option in Year 2 when the team's situation might not be the same. Then, there's the money aspect.
"But the financial component is the more immediate deterrent. A veteran minimum contract for a 16-year pro such as Gordon costs $3.2 million next season, but if it’s a one-year deal, the league subsidizes nearly half of it and only about $2.01 million counts against the cap," Slater wrote. "If it’s a multi-year deal, all $3.2 million counts against the cap. Multiply it by the repeater tax and you’re talking about somewhere around a $7 million added fee if the Warriors were to offer Gordon the same multi-year minimum contract that Phoenix did."
As Dub Nation is well aware, the Warriors are above a new "second apron" of the luxury tax included in the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement and have taken strides to open up the books. Teams that exceed the second apron of $182.5 million this coming season lose access to the $5 million taxpayer midlevel exception, and moving forward, there will be even more restrictions.
Slater reported Gordon was one of Golden State's "primary backcourt targets" in the early days of free agency, noting the Warriors liked his "floor spacing, defensive chops, personality and playoff experience" for their fourth guard spot.
While Gordon appears to have ultimately decided on Phoenix, thanks largely in part to that second-year option, Slater believes the potential to play more for the Suns had a hand in the decision, too. The Warriors' starting five is settled, with plenty of bench options clamoring for minutes. That isn't the case in Phoenix.
"Phoenix has something else to offer its minimum targets this week that the Warriors don’t," Slater wrote. "There’s a clearer path to a larger role on the Suns. They entered free agency with a torn down roster around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Deandre Ayton. There’s a fifth starting spot up for grabs and loads of bench minutes available. Gordon will probably close playoff games for them."
After losing out on Gordon, the Warriors pivoted to guard Cory Joseph, who reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with Golden State on Sunday. The 12-year NBA veteran provides the depth the Warriors saw in Gordon without the financial burden of a second year, though the latter's 42.3-percent shooting with the Los Angeles Clippers last season would have fit right in with Golden State.
The Warriors, even after trading away most of their young core, have to make decisions today with tomorrow in mind thanks to the new CBA. And while Gordon could have contributed to their 2023-24 NBA season, it didn't end up being a fit for either side.
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Source: NBC Sports Bay Area
