Aaron Gordon is having a solid season, in his 7th year, averaging 14.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately for the Magic, Gordon has requested a trade and does not want to play there anymore. Gordon has been a valuable servant for the Magic, but they should move on from him before the trade deadline.
Considering how Gordon has a few years before hitting his prime, he is a hot commodity on the market right now with no shortage of suitors. Here are the 5 best destinations for athletic phenom Aaron Gordon.
5. Detroit Pistons
Trade Package: Sekou Doumbouya, Delon Wright, Mason Plumlee for Aaron Gordon
The Detroit Pistons have arguably the Most Improved Player in Jerami Grant at the power forward position, but that doesn’t mean he can share the duties with Aaron Gordon. Gordon will most likely start at power forward due to his strength, allowing Grant to focus on scoring at the small forward spot.
The Pistons have moved on from Blake Griffin already, 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 the better player by far right now and has not reached his ceiling as a player.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Trade Package: 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 ton of sense for them. They need to build around a trio of young stars and hope to continue building a winning team. The fact that these three players get along with each other is a plus.
Gordon and Towns can be a dominant partnership at power forward and center, while they can find capable star players via draft or trade to fill out the shooting guard and small forward positions. Gordon is shooting 40.2% from three this season, which fits well alongside Towns and his 38.5% shooting as a stretch five.
3. Portland Trail Blazers
Trade Package: 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. Adding Aaron Gordon bolsters the lineup with athleticism and scoring, along with a stronger rotation at running the floor.
Robert Covington was acquired this season for first-round picks already, so they will have to part ways with young talent such as Collins and Trent Jr to get this deal done. Gordon and Covington can be a solid power forward rotation for the Trail Blazers who continue adding versatility in their lineup.
2. Boston Celtics
Trade Package: Marcus Smart, Robert Williams for Aaron Gordon
The Boston Celtics have shown everyone why they decided to hold onto Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for so long. They have developed into a strong duo, and with the return of Kemba Walker, they have a strong core to make a push in the East. A versatile power forward like Aaron Gordon completes a very strong starting lineup.
Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Aaron Gordon, and Tristan Thompson can impact the game on both ends of the floor and play the uptempo style that Brad Stevens employs. Losing Marcus Smart hurts their rotation depth, but Gordon is a bigger player who can improve their defensive versatility and add size inside.
1. Denver Nuggets
Trade Package: 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 is very capable of leading Denver to the Western Conference Finals this season, especially if Jokic continues his MVP play and Jamal Murray plays like he is in The Bubble again.
Gordon can defend multiple positions, run the floor, and can greatly benefit from the defensive attention that Jokic generates. Denver will need to part ways with a few assets to make this happen, but they should do it before the trade deadline. Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic are a solid core that should make them more competitive than their 25-17 record right now.
