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NBA Rumors: Aaron Gordon Trade Discussed by Magic Ahead of Deadline

Tyler Conway

The Orlando Magic have reportedly discussed trading forward Aaron Gordon ahead of Thursday's deadline, but a deal is "tricky" because of injuries on the roster.

"Aaron Gordon's a player they've had some discussions about," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on his podcast with Bobby Marks. "I think it's a tricky one to trade him now, with the season-ending injuries to Jonathan Isaac, to Al-Farouq Aminu. ... If you're going to move Gordon and you want to try to stick around in the playoff chase...you've got to get back a significant amount.

"I think, for Orlando, if there's a significant return, I think they would be open to it. But I don't know if that deal is out there."

Gordon is no stranger to trade rumors. He's been the subject of murmurs for years, only to stay in a Magic uniform.

From a numbers perspective, Gordon is in the midst of a disappointing 2019-20 campaign. He's averaging 13.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor (29.8 percent from three), all numbers that represent drops from last season. The Magic had struggled to find a correct lineup fit with Gordon, Isaac and Nikola Vucevic all on the floor; Gordon would often play out of position at the 3.

Isaac's injury has allowed Gordon to play more regularly at the 4, but his numbers are yet to see a major uptick.

"I think we're there," Gordon told reporters of the Magic's struggles. "We definitely let it slip a little bit. We have the talent, we have the personnel, we have the staff. We have everything that we need to be successful in this league. Everyone has to buy in and go from there."

Gordon has two years remaining on his contract, which are team friendly at $18.1 million in 2020-21 and $16.4 million in 2021-22. Still just 24 years old, Gordon has flashed an ability to play the secondary playmaker at the 4-spot and has committed to getting better as a shooter—even if the consistency isn't quite there.

It's clear the Magic want significant return, so odds are he'll remain in Orlando until at least the offseason. But a team would be smart to look at Gordon as a buy-low candidate over the summer.

   

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