The Philadelphia 76ers have made their second trade of the NBA Trade Deadline. The Sixers have shipped off veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon and a 2032 second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday afternoon.
Also in the deal, the 76ers are getting the draft rights to Justinian Jessup from the Grizzlies. Jessup was selected at pick 51 in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors out of Boise State. He currently plays overseas in the German Basketball Bundesliga. The real benefit the Sixers receive here, however, is the opening of another roster spot.
Gordon joined the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024-2025 offseason. Initially, the now 37-year-old guard signed a 2-year minimum contract with a player option on the second season. This past offseason, Gordon declined his player option only to resign with the Sixers for a slight raise thanks to years of service rules in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Gordon spent years with Daryl Morey’s Houston Rockets teams, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2016-2017 season and finishing as runner-up in the following season.
The Athletic’s Tony Jones was the first to report on the news that the Sixers were shopping Gordon.
This move likely has far less to do with Gordon and far more to do with the Sixers' desire to open up another roster spot. In the aftermath of the Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder trade, the Sixers had already ducked the luxury tax again this season. The McCain trade gave the team the cap space to convert both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker to standard contracts. Now with the Gordon trade and the return of Charles Bassey on a second 10-day contract, the Sixers have freed up the extra roster spot needed to convert both.
Gordon has, in his two years in Philadelphia, appeared in 45 games for the Sixers. He finished his time with the team, averaging 6.6 points per game on 44.0% shooting from the field and 42.4% from beyond the arc. While Gordon has barely played this season, appearing in only six games, he has been an effective three-point shooter. This year, he has shot 8 for 14 from deep.
