Houston, Texas — The Houston Rockets and prior Indiana Hoosier, Eric Gordon, reached an agreement on the largest contract extension that the team could offer the standout guard.
Gordon, now 30, was going into his final season of the prior four-year contract with the Rockets that was signed back in 2016 when he was a free agent. This deal is reported to be $75.6 M over the span and he will earn a total of approximately $90 M over the next five seasons with the Rockets. He was previously the third-highest paid Hoosier behind Cody Zeller ($14,471,910 in 2018) and Oladipo ($21,000,000 in 2018). Check out the 2018 highest paid Hoosiers in the NBA here.
With this new deal, the Rockets appear to be pushing for a NBA Championship with a loaded selection of guards – James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Gordon. All three are currently signed through the 2022-2023 season. Per ESPN, the final season of Gordon’s contract (worth $20.9 M) is not guaranteed unless the Rockets win an NBA championship or Gordon is selected an All-Star.
He attended Indiana from 2007-2008 and started in each game of his career with 20.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Hoosiers. He was one in the line of Indiana Mr. Basketball winners to attend Indiana University. After his single season with the Hoosiers, he opted to enter the NBA draft and was chosen 7th overall.
He has now played in 11 NBA seasons and averages 16.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He was chosen as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2017 and the three-point contest champion that same year. He has been trending upwards in number of games he starts for the Rockets, last season he started in 53 from a total of 15 two years prior.
Caesars lists the Rockets to be at 9-1 to win the NBA title, the 6th best odds. They open the season against the Bucks on October 24th.
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