NBA Trade Rumors: Timberwolves Make Sense As Landing Spot For Magic’s Aaron Gordon, Per ‘The Ringer’
Although he hasn’t been mentioned in too many trade rumors in recent months, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon is having what a new report described as his “most disappointing” season. That report, however, suggests that the sixth-year player might be better off playing a new role for a new team, with the Minnesota Timberwolves standing out as one possible option.
In a report for The Ringer published on Thursday, Kevin O’Connor pointed out how Gordon is currently struggling in Orlando, shooting career-low percentages from the field and from the free-throw line and not getting a meaningful increase in minutes, despite power forward Jonathan Isaac’s season-ending injury earlier this month. As such, O’Connor suggested that the 24-year-old forward could benefit from a team that would allow him to drive to the hoop more often and see more action from the “four” spot, instead of lining up as a small forward like he does for the Magic.
Talking about potential destinations for Gordon, O’Connor wrote that the Timberwolves reportedly inquired about the 6-foot-9-inch forward earlier in the season and would “[make] sense” as a landing spot for him. While O’Connor stressed that it’s unclear who Minnesota could move to Orlando in order to acquire the former No. 4 overall draft pick, he added that Robert Covington is currently being shopped around as a trade piece.
Yeah, we need Aaron Gordon back in the dunk contest ? pic.twitter.com/O4FMSnpOZj
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) January 4, 2020
“Just imagine Gordon rolling down the lane, then kicking it out to [center] Karl-Anthony Towns, who could shoot a 3 or attack the closeout,” O’Connor continued. “The Wolves don’t have a true playmaker, but they could acquire one in Gordon.”
He went on to explain that Gordon could also be used as an undersized center in the mold of Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors or Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, as he can be effective as an inside scorer and passer if utilized as an on-ball screener when teams run a high pick-and-roll.
According to his Basketball-Reference player page, Gordon is currently averaging 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 42 games, while also shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.4 percent from the free-throw line for the Magic. These numbers mostly represent a substantial decline from those in 2017-18 and 2018-19, when he appeared to be breaking out after his NBA career as a high lottery pick got off to a comparatively slow start.
Aside from the Timberwolves, a few other organizations have been linked to Gordon since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. These include the Golden State Warriors, though as The Inquisitr reported earlier this month, the team doesn’t appear to be willing to send All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell to the Magic in order to acquire the youthful big man.
