The noise surrounding a potential Aaron Gordon deal has increased dramatically over the past few days as the Celtics are the current forerunner to land the Orlando Magic before Thursday’s deadline.
The recording of two first-round picks from Boston put them at the front of the pack at the moment, but it is safe to say that the Celtics will be looking for more than just Aaron Gordon if they are prepared for some important future. to print. assets in the middle of the poker table. The Celtics have also been linked with Evan Fournier over the past few days as a trade target, despite being a deal that has expired, and the Magic have several other cost-controlled players available by the end of the roster calling for can hold the grid.
However, the framework of any deal will be limited by a few key factors: Boston’s hard salary cap and the prospect of avoiding the luxury tax this season in order to avoid a hard iteration tax this decade as Boston’s payroll increases.
So what’s a hypothetical mechanic for a multiplayer Gordon deal? Let’s look at some options that the Celtics will weigh in the negotiations.
The deal is centered around Marcus Smart for Gordon and Fournier
Hypothetical trade: Celtics send Smart, Tristan Thompson and some filler salaries (Semi Oeieye, Carsen Edwards, Javonte Green) with two first rounds to the Magic for Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and a replacement (probably Khem Birch)
Overview: The money here is the biggest thing, because an exchange like this keeps the Celtics just below the luxury tax for the season, as Ryan Bernardoni, the guru of the Celtics captain. point out. The Celtics lose a key player, but get some offensive players in Fournier and Gordon, and Gordon has good value through the 2021-22 season. Fournier’s current contract would pose a flying risk to him, but the Celtics retain Bird Rights on him, giving them the chance to re-sign him if enough money is removed from the team’s future salary (ie to Kemba Walker move) to retain him. . In this scenario, the Celtics would also be able to maintain the full exception on Gordon Hayward-traded players for this off-season, giving them the flexibility to make major additions via trade, even though they are beyond the salary cap.
The Celtics ending a deal like this would be just as much to create some maneuverability with the finances next season under the luxury tax, while having a massive TPE in place, as the value of this kind of deal does not so attractive. The Celtics can simply pick Gordon with just two first rounds, and add Smart, just to sell a running contract in Fournier, a backup center and some money (Thompson) for next season, selling a lot low to Smart. The math works, but if the team is high on Smart as they say it is, other dominoes should fall and more assets come Boston’s way (in this deal or elsewhere) to make sense of Danny Ainge.
The deal was just Aaron Gordon
Hypothetical trade: Celtics offer a first-round pick, a second-round pick and a young winger (Aaron Nesmith / Romeo Langford) for Gordon
Overview: This is the asking price the Celtics are hoping the Magic will eventually cave into in a smaller structure of the deal. League sources tell MassLive that Orlando has long since picked the first round twice, so the Celtics are trying to keep things simple here and offer a little less than that while using part of Hayward’s TPE to put in Gordon’s salary take. It adds a useful player in the present, but still kicks the gaze on salary issues that will threaten Boston in the off-season.
Is there anyway the Keltics that could involve Kemba Walker instead of Smart?
Hypothetical trade: Celtics send two first-round picks, Walker, Romeo Langford, Rob Williams to the Magic for Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Khem Birch
Overview: We have not yet heard that Walker is directly linked to Orlando, but with his former coach, Steve Clifford, at the helm, it is a hypothetical matter that is also worth investigating from Boston’s point of view. The Magic have a lot of young talent in the backfield (Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony), but if they sign Walker’s contract, they could get a lot more future assets than Smart and give a player with a higher potential upside down, while ‘ a pick-and-roll with one of the best stretches big in the league in Nikola Vucevic. This could possibly help Walker rebuild some value in his new home.
Still, Orlando can look at a package like this and think it’s not nearly enough to tackle Walker’s albatross contract. If they can get a few first-round picks for Gordon and Fournier separately, it’s fair to wonder if the Williams / Langford front is enough to tackle Walker’s nearly $ 80 million salary over the next two seasons. It feels like a place where the Magic are opting for another first round on which the Celtics are likely to descend as it will exhaust their ability to make future moves for the next few years. There’s a price that can be paid to have a Walker team taken, but Boston is probably not ready to give in yet.
Final thoughts
The second Gordon trade package is probably the most realistic package from Boston’s perspective. The addition of Fournier to the deal would signal a bigger win-now move, and it’s hard to justify that as much as a Celtics 21-22 team is over 60 percent this season. The Celtics could quite possibly move smartly by the deadline, but they need to look for more value than just a short-term lease in Fournier.