With the NBA deadline of March 25 less than a week, the league’s sellers are making their demands clear.
The Orlando Magic are presumably looking for a ‘young player or players, a draft pick’ and a matching salary in exchange for forward Aaron Gordon, Denver Post’s Mike Singer reported on Friday.
Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported a similar award for Gordon in Orlando: a first round and a ‘good young player’.
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Singer did not list the Celtics among the teams interested in Gordon – the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves are under the game, according to Singer, but the athletic forward will fit in well in Boston.
“He would add some size (6 feet-8) and versatility to the front end,” our Chris Forsberg wrote about Gordon in January. “… He can create for others, he can play center in petty line-ups, and he will likely thrive with so much attention on Boston’s stars.”
Gordon’s salary of $ 18.1 million will also be traded under the exception of the Celtics’ $ 28.5 million, and he is under contract until 2022.
However, the 25-year-old has just returned from a long absence due to an ankle injury, and the Magic’s asking price is strong for a player who shoots a career-low 43.1% off the floor.
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The other question is whether Boston has a ‘good young player’ who will attract Orlando. Romeo Langford is perhaps the team’s best young trade asset outside the ‘core four’ of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, but the 21-year-old has appeared in just 32 games in two seasons.
Langford is also earning $ 3.6 million this year, so the Cs will have to send multiple players and / or significant cash to Orlando to match Gordon’s 18.1 million.
Long story short: Unless the Magic change their asking price, Gordon does not sound like a realistic option for the Celtics, who are reportedly interested in several other players, including Orlando’s big man Nikola Vucevic.