Veteran shooting guard Ben Gordon was already a prime candidate to be moved at the 2013 NBA trade deadline, but the Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly even more eager to find Gordon a new address after a incident at shootaround between Gordon and head coach Mike Dunlap. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports:
NBA trade rumors: Bobcats reportedly eager to trade Ben Gordon after shootaround incident
The Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly more eager to trade Ben Gordon after he was “beyond disrespectful” to coach Mike Dunlap during a recent shootaround, according to a report.
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
As Dunlap led the Bobcats in a morning shootaround on Monday before a victory over the Celtics, Gordon refused Dunlap's request to stop bouncing a ball as the coach spoke, sources said. Before long, Gordon began baiting Dunlap, telling him that he needed to "humble himself," sources said.
Gordan refused to give the ball to Dunlap, and eventually tossed it toward a ball rack, sources said.
One league source told Wojnarowski that Gordon’s behavior was “beyond disrespectful.” The only reason Gordon was not suspended is that the Bobcats feared it would hurt his trade value, according to Wojnarowski.
Gordon was acquired from the Detroit Pistons over the summer in a deal involving Corey Maggette and a first-round pick. Charlotte essentially took on the extra year of his contract to acquire that first-round pick.
Now, they are trying to deal Gordon again. The Brooklyn Nets were rumored to be interested in acquiring Gordon in a deal for forward Kris Humphries, but talk of that trade has died down over the past few days. Still, Humphries would at least provide Charlotte with an interior presence. The two players each have one year and about $12 million left on their contracts after this season.
Gordon is averaging 12.6 points per game while shooting nearly 41 percent from three-point range. His scoring ability off the bench could be a boon to a contender, though his size, contract and poor defense mitigate those strengths.
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