Despite leaning strongly toward exercising his player option for next season, Eric Gordon has scoured the NBA market for a potential long-term deal out of New Orleans, a league source told RealGM.

Gordon has expressed excitement about the Pelicans’ future, which includes the hiring of Alvin Gentry and his own likely return. The head coach led in the Phoenix Suns’ recruitment to sign Gordon to a free-agent offer sheet in 2012.

In weighing the league landscape, Gordon has looked into four- or five-year contract possibilities with other teams, a source said.

Nevertheless, accepting the $15.5 million option to enter free agency in 2016 has been the expected decision for the 26-year-old guard.

Gordon averaged 13.4 points and 3.8 assists in 61 games last season, a productive yet injury-hampered year. He has spent four of his seven NBA seasons with New Orleans, following a three-year run with the Los Angeles Clippers in which he scored 22.3 points per game in 2010-11.