Why the Hornets might want to see Eric Gordon leave

When the NBA mandated that the New Orleans Hornets would only take the best possible league-rigged offer in a trade for Chris Paul, they decided that the Hornets required a young, budding star who could help take the franchise into the post-CP3 world. Given the available options, that player turned out to be shooting guard Eric Gordon, a terrific scorer who also happened to be a season away from becoming a restricted free agent. If the Hornets could convince him to stay, they'd look a lot better on paper moving forward. The Hornets gave that offer to Gordon -- with league approval, of course -- and awaited his response. On Wednesday, before the league's deadline for extensions, he gave it. According to Yahoo!'s own Marc Spears, he has chosen to hit free agency this offseason: The New Orleans Hornets and guard Eric Gordon failed to reach agreement on a contract extension before Wednesday night's deadline. Gordon will become a restricted free agent at the end of the se...