The Boston Celtics went into a pole position to trade for Aaron Gordon of Orlando, as first reported by Matt Moore of The Action Network and confirmed by Sam Amick of The Athletic. The deal would also send Evan Fournier to Boston, who could use his $ 28.5 million traded player exception from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade business to absorb Gordon, but would have to structure a separate deal for Fournier .
From Amick:
The Celtics are now considered the frontrunners in the Gordon draw. A source with knowledge of the Gordon talks said that the Celtics have indeed put two first rounds on the table, and that the framework of the agreement may also include bringing Magic Guard (and the free agent) Evan Fournier to the Celtics.
In the complicated framework, the most likely scenario then would be that the Celtics guard and two-time first-team All-Defensive selection, Marcus Smart, is on his way to the Magic, Gordon and Fournier are Boston-bound and the Celtics use their trade exception of $ 28.5 million in the process.
Because the exception cannot be used with more than one player, it seems that the teams will have to get additional teams to make all the math work. I leave the rest of the analysis to Hollinger. The bottom line is: Boston is now considered the leader for Gordon, with Denver as the strongest second suitor.
Clearly, the Celtics are not your typical 21-22 team fighting to stay out of a national series. They have been in three of the last four conference finals. They have two All-Stars in Tatum and Brown, and if Kemba Walker can catch a constant groove along the piece, it’s their third star. They have a reservoir of individual creators and versatile defenders, probably the two most important play-off components besides shooting.
In short, there is a reason for the Celtics to believe they can get back into the conference title mix. None of the teams at the top of the East are perfect. Brooklyn struggles to defend. Philadelphia lacks an elite creator in the halfway line. The Bucks need to prove they can succeed in the playoffs with new defensive schemes, and they take full account of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton to be the creator of the half when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the walls that will definitely shape him ahead.
Gordon will be a good fit for the Celtics as an athletic four-man with a legal three-point distance to open up the track and pick and choose with their abundance of wing goal scorers, which will then also include Fournier. . Boston is really struggling to offend as a unit. It does not move the ball well. It’s very “in his suitcase” dripping to create one-on-one looks. If you are going to exist like this, you need as many capable creators as possible. Gordon and Fournier pass the bill.
The loss of Smart’s defense and overall energy would obviously be a big hit, but Gordon brings a lot to the end as a bigger, more athletic stop. The Celtics have been playing the patient card for a long time. They made big moves and traded for Kyrie Irving and signed Hayward and Walker, but that was always done with the safety net of a bunch of future concepts with high leverage in their back pocket as the current plan needs additional support brand new.
The picks, from Sacramento in 2019 and Memphis in 2020, were supposed to be high lotteries, but both the Kings and Grizzlies performed better than expected. As a result, the Celtics finished with the number 14 pick in the last two drafts, provided by Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith. All the choices of their 2013 robbery of the Nets are gone.
The final product is supposed to be on the floor while we talk. This is where the urgency in Boston comes from. There is no more bait on the sleeve. This is mostly the case. So you understand the increased incentive for Danny Ainge to maximize his current roster. It does not work with Hayward; he has always been injured in Boston, and it must sting to see how he regains his former form in Charlotte. The reverse happened with Walker. He was an elite in Charlotte, and he was an injured, reduced version of himself in Boston.
Could Gordon and Fournier be the sparks that will rekindle the once bright future in Boston? Stay tuned.