NBA Rumors: Hawks Could Acquire Eric Gordon & 2020 Draft Pick For Dewayne Dedmon, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
As a rebuilding team, the Atlanta Hawks have usually been linked to youngsters such as Brandon Ingram and Andrew Wiggins when it comes to free-agency and trade rumors and suggested deals. A recent report, however, hinted that the organization could benefit by acquiring veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon and a second-round pick in the 2020 draft in exchange for center Dewayne Dedmon.
As explained by Bleacher Report‘s Andy Bailey on Monday in a list of trade ideas for the 2019-20 season’s prospective lottery teams, Atlanta has been known as a team that acquires players on expensive contracts for draft picks, typically in hopes of eventually freeing up salary-cap space for top free agents. However, unlike the recent cases of Allen Crabbe, Evan Turner, and Chandler Parsons, the recommended deal for Gordon — who is set to earn an average of almost $19 million annually through the 2023-24 campaign — reportedly could help the organization immediately if it pushes forward.
“For the Hawks, not only would they add a pick to their stash, but they would also get a veteran who can help steward the development of Trae Young, Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter. And if Gordon can stay healthy, he makes short-term sense on a team that could compete for a playoff spot as early as next season.”
According to Bailey, a backcourt tandem of Young and Gordon could end up as a “dynamic” one on the offensive end. Furthermore, the former Sixth Man of the Year winner was described as a player who could also “spare” the second-year point guard from “certain defensive assignments” that may put him at a disadvantage.
Despite shooting just 37 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three-point range, Gordon has remained a reliable source of offense in 2019-20, with an average of 14.5 points in 34 games, per Basketball-Reference.
Talking about how the Rockets could benefit from the hypothetical transaction, Bailey wrote that Houston already has several capable wing players, including Robert Covington, Ben McLemore, and Austin Rivers, thus potentially making Gordon expendable. He added that the 7-foot-tall Dedmon makes over $5 million per year less than Gordon and has the size that could allow the Rockets to play with a traditional center and change things up from their usual small-ball style of play.
Although Dedmon’s statistics noticeably declined in the first half of 2019-20 with the Sacramento Kings, the 30-year-old big man saw his production approach its 2018-19 levels upon returning to Atlanta earlier this year. According to Basketball-Reference, he posted averages of 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 10 games for the Hawks this season.
