The New Orleans Pelicans had a fair run last season barely making the cut as they entered the playoffs having the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and one of the pieces that contributed to that will be returning next season as veteran guard Eric Gordon exercised the player option in his contract.
Gordon inked a four-year, $58 million pact with New Orleans in 2012 with the deal having a player option in the final year.
The veteran guard decided to exercise the option and is set to earn around $15.5 million in the 2015-16 season according to ESPN.
Gordon played in 61 regular season games for the Pelicans last season and averaged a career-low in points scoring 13.4 points per game, a bit far from his scoring average in his first year with the Pelicans which was 20.6 points per outing.
Despite the decrease, the 26-year-old's capability to consistently contribute in double-digits is a huge thing for New Orleans this upcoming season as they try to have a better finish.
"I'm really excited to continue playing for the Pelicans. We had a strong finish to last season. And with this core group of young players we have, and with Alvin Gentry's new leadership and vision, we all expect even bigger things next season," Gordon said in a press release by the Pelicans.
Gordon entered the NBA as the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers where he spent his first three seasons before getting traded to New Orleans before the 2011-12 season.
"We are thrilled to have Eric Gordon on our roster for the 2015-16 season. Eric was a huge contributor to our success last season and we are excited to have him continue as one of the leaders of our team," Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said in the release.
