Aaron Gordon has had a solid season in his seventh year averaging 14.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately for the magic, Gordon has requested a trade and no longer wants to play there. Gordon was a valuable servant to magic, but they should get away from him before trading closes.
Considering what Gordon was like a few years before his heyday, he’s a hot commodity in the market right now with no shortage of suitors. Here are the top 5 destinations for the Aaron Gordon athletic phenomenon.
5. Detroit Pistons
Trade Pack: Sekou Doumbouya, Delon Wright, Mason Plumlee for Aaron Gordon
The Detroit Pistons arguably have the most improved player in Jerami Grant in the power forward position, but that doesn’t mean he can share duties with Aaron Gordon. Gordon will most likely start power forward based on his strength, so Grant can focus on scoring points on the little striker.
The pistons have already moved away from Blake Griffin, so adding a 25-year-old in Aaron Gordon makes sense for their rebuilding plans. Trading a young player in Sekou Doumbouya hurts, but Gordon is by far the better player right now and has not hit his cap as a player.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Trade Pack: Jarrett Culver, Juan Hernangomez, Josh Okogie for Aaron Gordon
The Minnesota Timberwolves have Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, and adding Aaron Gordon makes a lot of sense to them. You must revolve around a trio of young stars and hope to keep building a winning team. The fact that these three players get along is a plus.
Gordon and Towns can be a dominant partnership between power forward and center, while through draft or trade they can find capable star players to fill the shooting guard and small forward positions. Gordon shoots 40.2% of three this season, which goes well with Towns, and his 38.5% shoots as a stretch five.
3. Portland Trail Blazer
Trade Pack: Rodney Hood, Zach Collins, Gary Trent Jr. for Aaron Gordon
The Portland Trail Blazers have a solid core in superstar Damian Lillard and two stars in CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. The addition of Aaron Gordon strengthens the line-up with athleticism and points, as well as increased rotation when running on the floor.
Robert Covington has already been won for first-round selection this season, so they will have to part with young talents like Collins and Trent Jr. to complete this deal. Gordon and Covington can be a solid power-forward rotation for the Trail Blazers, which will continue to add versatility to their lineups.
2. Boston Celtics
Trade Pack: Marcus Smart, Robert Williams for Aaron Gordon
The Boston Celtics showed everyone why they chose to hold Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for so long. They have grown into a strong duo and with the return of Kemba Walker they have a strong core to move forward in the east. A versatile power forward like Aaron Gordon completes a very strong starting line-up.
Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Aaron Gordon and Tristan Thompson can influence the game on either end of the floor and play the up-tempo style used by Brad Stevens. Losing Marcus Smart hurts their depth of rotation, but Gordon is a bigger player who can improve his defensive versatility and increase the size inside.
1. Denver Nuggets
Trade Pack: Will Barton, Bol Bol, Monte Morris, two future first-round picks for Aaron Gordon
The Denver Nuggets have an MVP player in Nikola Jokic, but they need more talent to take the next step in the Western Conference. A duo of Jokic and Gordon are very well placed to lead Denver to the Western Conference Finals this season, especially with Jokic continuing his MVP game and Jamal Murray playing like he’s back at The Bubble.
Gordon can defend multiple positions, run the floor, and benefit greatly from the defensive attention Jokic generates. Denver will have to part with some assets to achieve this, but they should do so before the trading deadline. Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic are solid core that should make them more competitive than their 25-17 record at the moment.
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