Phoenix Suns veteran guard Eric Gordon is reportedly expected to join the Bahamian national team for its Olympic qualifiers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Gordon will be one of at least three NBA players on the team.
Team Bahamas will play two exhibition games in Greece later this month, facing Montenegro on June 25 and Greece on June 27. They will then compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Spain, starting on July 2 against Finland and continuing on July 3 versus Poland.
Additionally, Klay Thompson will participate in the national team’s training camp in Houston, Charania reports. However, Thompson is not expected to receive an official release from USA Basketball and approval from FIBA, which would be necessary for him to play in the Olympic qualifiers and further competition.
Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton and Philadelphia 76ers guard Buddy Hield are also expected to compete for Team Bahamas again, following their contributions to the team’s victory in a qualifying tournament against other countries from the Americas last August.
The timing could pose challenges for Eric Gordon if he chooses to become a free agent this summer. He faces a decision deadline of June 29 to either exercise his $3.3 million player option with the Phoenix Suns for the upcoming season or opt for free agency. This decision deadline precedes the start of the free agency period, which begins on June 30.
In his inaugural regular season with Phoenix, the 35-year-old veteran posted averages of 11 points while shooting 44% from the field, 38% from three-point range, and 80% from the free-throw line across 68 games. However, his production dipped to 8.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in 44 appearances off the bench. Gordon was initially brought to the Suns last summer with the intent of being their primary scoring option off the bench.
Currently, Gordon’s focus is on aiding the Bahamian national team in its quest to qualify for its first-ever Olympic appearance.