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The Boston Celtics moved up from pole position to trade against 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 Gordon Hayward’s signing and trade to absorb Gordon, but would have to structure a separate deal for Fournier.
From Amick:
The Celtics are now considered the favorites in the Gordon draw. A source familiar with Gordon’s talks said the Celtics had indeed put two first-round picks on the table and the framework of the deal would also include magic guard (and future free agent) Evan Fournier heading to the Celtics.
In this complex setting, the most likely scenario would then involve the Celtics guard and the two-time first-team All-Defensive selection Marcus Smart heading to the Magic, with Gordon and Fournier heading to Boston and the Celtics using their trade exception of $ 28.5 million in the deal.
Still, since the exception cannot be used with more than one player, it looks like teams would have to find additional teams for all of the calculations to work. I’ll leave the rest of this analysis to Hollinger to figure it out. The bottom line is this: Boston is now seen as Gordon’s leader, with Denver seen as the second-strongest contender.
Obviously, the Celtics are not your typical 21-22 team fighting to stay out of a playoff play-in streak. They have competed in three of the last four conference finals. They have two All-Stars in Tatum and Brown, and if Kemba Walker can catch a consistent groove on the stretch, it’s their third star. They have a reservoir of individual creators and versatile defenders, arguably the two most important components of the playoffs alongside shooting.
There is, in short, a reason the Celtics 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 itself. Philadelphia does not have an elite half-court creator. The Bucks need to prove they can succeed with new playoff defensive ploys, and they’re betting heavily on Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton to be the creators of the half-court when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the walls that are sure to form in front. him.
Gordon would be a great choice for the Celtics as an athletic four-man with a legitimate 3-point reach to lead the way and play pick-and-pop with their plethora of wing scorers, which would then also include Fournier. . Boston is really struggling to create an offense as a unit. It does not move the ball well. That’s a lot of dribbling “in the bag” to create one-on-one looks. If you want to exist that way, you need as many capable creators as possible. Gordon and Fournier do the trick.
Losing Smart’s defense and overall energy would obviously be a big hit, but Gordon brings a lot to that end as a bigger, more athletic goalscorer. The Celtics have long played the patient card. They’ve made great strides, trading for Kyrie Irving and signing Hayward and Walker, but it has always been done with the safety net of a bunch of high-leverage future draft picks in their back pocket in case the current plan would need additional support or a whole new design.
Those picks, from Sacramento in 2019 and Memphis in 2020, were meant to be high lottery picks, but the Kings and Grizzlies ended up performing better than expected. As a result, the Celtics found themselves with the No.14 pick in the last two draft drafts, earning them Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith. All the choices of their flight from the Nets in 2013 are gone.
The finished product is meant to be on the floor as we speak. This is where the emergency comes from in Boston. There are no more aces in the round. This, for the most part, is it. So you can understand Danny Ainge’s increased incentive to maximize his current roster. It didn’t work with Hayward; he’s always been injured in Boston, and it must be stinging to see him return to his previous form in Charlotte. The reverse happened with Walker. He was elite in Charlotte, and he was a diminished and injured version of himself in Boston.
Could Gordon and Fournier be the sparks rekindling Boston’s once-bright future? Stay tuned.
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