Clippers to let Eric Gordon become a free agent

The decision on Gordon was made with the luxury tax in mind, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He adds that management liked how Gordon performed during his brief time with the team, but they want to give more minutes to younger guards rather than committing to a 34-year-old.

Getting rid of Gordon’s contract will reduce the Clippers’ projected tax bill for next season from $169M to $59M, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team currently projects to be $18M over the $165M luxury tax threshold.

L.A. acquired Gordon from the Rockets in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. He averaged 11.0 PPG and shot 42.3% from three-point range in his 22 regular season games with the Clippers and put up similar numbers in the playoffs.

Gordon was in the final season of a four-year, $75.5M contract he signed with Houston in 2020. He could have guaranteed his fourth-year salary by making an All-Star team or reaching a minutes requirement in a championship season.