76ers send Eric Gordon to Memphis prior to trade deadline
Feb 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Eric Gordon (23) controls the ball against the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images/File Photo
With 61 minutes to go before Thursday’s 3:00 p.m. trade deadline, the 76ers are trading Eric Gordon and a 2032 second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Sixers are acquiring the rights to Justinian Jessup. Jessup is a 27-year-old shooting guard who was selected at 51st overall in 2020 and is currently a member of Bayern Munich, yet to play in the NBA.
Gordon signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract to return to the Sixers and has appeared in only six games this season. The 37-year-old guard played 45 times in total as a Sixer and averaged 6.6 points and 1.5 assists. He was not in the rotation all season with the team healthy, so a trade appeared inevitable.
The Sixers are now $5.3 million below the tax and have three roster spots open. The Sixers have consistently reported to convert Dominick Barlow from a two-way deal to a standard contract. That was stated following both this trade and the Jared McCain trade to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
In reality, all the Sixers needed to do to convert Barlow, who has exceeded preseason expectations and is doing an excellent job filling in for Paul George, was free up a roster spot. With George’s suspension and McCain’s trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team was already below the luxury tax and opened up a roster spot. So trading both Gordon and McCain feels inelegant. Yes, it is important to stay under the tax, but back-to-back semi-unnecessary salary dumps are disproportionate.
The trade deadline is up in 15 minutes. If the Sixers do not act quickly, this will go down pretty disappointingly.
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.
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