According to multiple reports, a few teams across the league are gauging the trade value of Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon. It has always seemed as if Gordon has not lived up to his potential, but he’s still a solid starter in today’s league. His athleticism and all-around game make him a great piece to have when surrounded by better players. Take a look at some trade packages that would be convincing for Orlando.
Potential Trade Packages for Aaron Gordon
Houston Builds for the Future
The trade: The Magic send Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Houston Rockets for Victor Oladipo and a $3 million trade exception from the Clint Capela trade.
It seems like Orlando is ready to give up on Gordon, especially with his impending free agency in 2022. With that being said, there’s still talent on their roster including All-Star Nikola Vucevic, scorer Evan Fournier, and rookie Cole Anthony. They’ll also get Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz back next season. Adding a strong scorer and defender like Oladipo will instantly vault them back into the playoff race next season. The catch, of course, is convincing Oladipo, who already played for Orlando in the past, to extend his contract this summer.
Houston gets Gordon, who will form a strong frontcourt with Christian Wood. Kevin Porter Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate are other promising young players on the team. With this core, the Rockets can certainly extend their rebuild.
In addition, Aminu is a solid wing defender. His contract expires in 2022, but he can help the Rockets now and next season. If they deem him tradeable, his expiring contract will be attractive next season.
Dallas Makes an Attempt to Win Now
The trade: The Magic send Gordon and Gary Clark to the Dallas Mavericks for Dwight Powell, Josh Green, and Tyrell Terry.
This indicates that Orlando is not willing to pay Gordon and move into the future.
Powell is a decent NBA player, but no better than a back-up center. That works for Orlando as they already have Vucevic, and it’ll make them more willing to trade Mo Bamba for more future assets. The keys in this trade are two of Mavericks’ draft picks from this season – Green and Terry. Both have had very limited playing time, but are waiting to unleash their potential. Green can develop into a “3-and-D” specialist, but also has the athleticism to be an efficient slasher. Terry was a stud in college and has the range to be a fantastic shooter in the league. All signs point to him being a late-bloomer who becomes a legitimate role player down the road.
Gordon addresses some toughness and rebounding issues in Dallas. The thought of his alley-oops alongside Luka Doncic is also extremely tantalizing. He’ll also give Dallas elite front-court depth alongside Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Willie Cauley-Stein. Clark is somewhat of a throw-in, but he can certainly find a role in the Mavericks’ regular-season rotation.
Minnesota Finally Addresses their Forward Problem with Aaron Gordon
The trade: The Magic send Gordon and Clark to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez, Ed Davis, and a future first-round pick.
Minnesota has so much more talent than their record suggests. This, of course, includes Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, and Ricky Rubio. With that being said, the team has dealt with injuries and suspensions, but they still regularly underperform. One important thing to notice, however, is the lack of a true forward.
Gordon solves this issue and fits the roster’s timeline very well. A starting five of Russell, Beasley, Edwards, Gordon, and Towns (with a decent bench) should be a legitimate playoff team.
Orlando does this for the future pick and Culver. Minnesota is hard to trust in terms of succeeding, so the pick down the road can easily become a lottery one. In addition, Culver is still young with unrealized potential. It’s doubtful that he becomes a star, but he’ll be a great bench player at worst in the future. Hernangomez is another solid forward to have in store as well. Davis is a throw-in to make the salaries work.
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