{"id":38129,"date":"2021-03-16T11:29:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T15:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=38129"},"modified":"2021-03-23T18:16:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T22:16:06","slug":"aaron-gordon-potential-trade-packages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2021\/03\/16\/aaron-gordon-potential-trade-packages\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Gordon: Potential Trade Packages"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to multiple reports<\/a>, a few teams across the league are gauging the trade value of Orlando Magic forward\u00a0Aaron Gordon<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Potential Trade Packages for\u00a0Aaron Gordon<\/h2>\n

Houston Builds for the Future<\/h3>\n

The trade: The Magic send Gordon and\u00a0Al-Farouq Aminu<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>to the Houston Rockets<\/a> for\u00a0Victor Oladipo<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and a $3 million trade exception from the\u00a0Clint Capela<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>trade.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Nikola Vucevic<\/a><\/strong>, scorer\u00a0Evan Fournier<\/a><\/strong>, and rookie\u00a0Cole Anthony<\/a><\/strong>. They’ll also get\u00a0Jonathan Isaac<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Markelle Fultz<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Houston gets Gordon, who will form a strong frontcourt with\u00a0Christian Wood<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Kevin Porter Jr.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Jae’Sean Tate<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>are other promising young players on the team. With this core, the Rockets can certainly extend their rebuild.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Dallas Makes an Attempt to Win Now<\/h3>\n

The trade: The Magic send Gordon and\u00a0Gary Clark<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>to the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> for\u00a0Dwight Powell<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Josh Green<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Tyrell Terry<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This indicates that Orlando is not willing to pay Gordon and move into the future.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Mo Bamba<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Gordon addresses some toughness and rebounding issues in Dallas. The thought of his alley-oops alongside\u00a0Luka Doncic<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is also extremely tantalizing. He’ll also give Dallas elite front-court depth alongside Kristaps Porzingis<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Maxi Kleber<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Willie Cauley-Stein<\/a><\/strong>. Clark is somewhat of a throw-in, but he can certainly find a role in the Mavericks’ regular-season rotation.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Finally Addresses their Forward Problem with Aaron Gordon<\/h3>\n

The trade: The Magic send Gordon and Clark to the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> for\u00a0Jarrett Culver<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Juancho Hernangomez<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Ed Davis<\/a><\/strong>, and a future first-round pick.<\/p>\n

Minnesota has so much more talent than their record suggests. This, of course, includes\u00a0Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0D’Angelo Russell<\/a><\/strong>, Anthony Edwards<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Malik Beasley<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Ricky Rubio<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Embed from Getty Images<\/a>