Karalis: Aaron Gordon Should Be Celtics 'No. 1' Trade Target

[gouki88]

I think you wait to see if Draymond Green becomes available

A guy that you said in the other thread was cooked......

Cooked in the sense that he’s not a DPOY All-NBA guy anymore was the gist I got. Still a hugely valuable player though.

Honestly, any of Draymond, Aaron Gordon or Harrison Barnes would be great

[knuckleballer]

I’d be cool with acquiring him.  I think we need another player this season to help the J’s with the scoring load.  They both went for 30 last night playing a lot of minutes, but that’s not going to hold up.

I’d prefer a wing who can handle secondary ball handling duties and shoot.  To beat a dead horse, I wish Ainge aggressively pursued Bogdan.  Too late for that.  Fournier, aside from his contract, interests me more.  I know his defense is weak, but Smart and the J’s help make up for that.

I was surprised to see that Gordon has averaged 3.7 assists in each of the past two seasons.  So he should be able to help with facilitating.  His size will help a lot particularly for Tatum and I don’t expect to see Theis and Thompson share the court much.  So, I’m in for Aaron Gordon.  Hell, I was high on his potential coming out of college. Maybe Stevens can get more out of him. And age and finances make sense.

I’m guessing Nesmith or Langford plus a first rounder in the stacked ‘21 or ‘22 class should get us most of the way there. 

[td450]

I’d be cool with acquiring him.  I think we need another player this season to help the J’s with the scoring load.  They both went for 30 last night playing a lot of minutes, but that’s not going to hold up.

I’d prefer a wing who can handle secondary ball handling duties and shoot.  To beat a dead horse, I wish Ainge aggressively pursued Bogdan.  Too late for that.  Fournier, aside from his contract, interests me more.  I know his defense is weak, but Smart and the J’s help make up for that.

I was surprised to see that Gordon has averaged 3.7 assists in each of the past two seasons.  So he should be able to help with facilitating.  His size will help a lot particularly for Tatum and I don’t expect to see Theis and Thompson share the court much.  So, I’m in for Aaron Gordon.  Hell, I was high on his potential coming out of college. Maybe Stevens can get more out of him. And age and finances make sense.

I’m guessing Nesmith or Langford plus a first rounder in the stacked ‘21 or ‘22 class should get us most of the way there.

I don't really know much about him other than seeing him a few times a year.

Relative to other NBA players, is he a worker? Is he a competitor?  Would he OK with just being a starter? Would it bother him that he wasn't a star, or is winning more important? If so, then it seems he'd be a great power forward for this group.

[knuckleballer]

I’d be cool with acquiring him.  I think we need another player this season to help the J’s with the scoring load.  They both went for 30 last night playing a lot of minutes, but that’s not going to hold up.

I’d prefer a wing who can handle secondary ball handling duties and shoot.  To beat a dead horse, I wish Ainge aggressively pursued Bogdan.  Too late for that.  Fournier, aside from his contract, interests me more.  I know his defense is weak, but Smart and the J’s help make up for that.

I was surprised to see that Gordon has averaged 3.7 assists in each of the past two seasons.  So he should be able to help with facilitating.  His size will help a lot particularly for Tatum and I don’t expect to see Theis and Thompson share the court much.  So, I’m in for Aaron Gordon.  Hell, I was high on his potential coming out of college. Maybe Stevens can get more out of him. And age and finances make sense.

I’m guessing Nesmith or Langford plus a first rounder in the stacked ‘21 or ‘22 class should get us most of the way there.

I don't really know much about him other than seeing him a few times a year.

Relative to other NBA players, is he a worker? Is he a competitor?  Would he OK with just being a starter? Would it bother him that he wasn't a star, or is winning more important? If so, then it seems he'd be a great power forward for this group.

All great questions and maybe someone else here can answer them, but I also only see him play a few times a year.  On paper, he looks interesting to me and I do feel we need another player/contributor.

[Boris Badenov]

I’d be cool with acquiring him.  I think we need another player this season to help the J’s with the scoring load.  They both went for 30 last night playing a lot of minutes, but that’s not going to hold up.

I’d prefer a wing who can handle secondary ball handling duties and shoot.  To beat a dead horse, I wish Ainge aggressively pursued Bogdan.  Too late for that.  Fournier, aside from his contract, interests me more.  I know his defense is weak, but Smart and the J’s help make up for that.

I was surprised to see that Gordon has averaged 3.7 assists in each of the past two seasons.  So he should be able to help with facilitating.  His size will help a lot particularly for Tatum and I don’t expect to see Theis and Thompson share the court much.  So, I’m in for Aaron Gordon.  Hell, I was high on his potential coming out of college. Maybe Stevens can get more out of him. And age and finances make sense.

I’m guessing Nesmith or Langford plus a first rounder in the stacked ‘21 or ‘22 class should get us most of the way there.

I don't really know much about him other than seeing him a few times a year.

Relative to other NBA players, is he a worker? Is he a competitor?  Would he OK with just being a starter? Would it bother him that he wasn't a star, or is winning more important? If so, then it seems he'd be a great power forward for this group.

All great questions and maybe someone else here can answer them, but I also only see him play a few times a year.  On paper, he looks interesting to me and I do feel we need another player/contributor.

He's an interesting case. His first three years underwhelmed, especially offensively, and his defense wasn't good enough to offset his very poor shooting and limited skills.

In 17-18 he improved his 3pt shooting to 34%, at higher volume which intrigued people given his defensive potential and "swappability" in the modern game.

18-19 was better still (35% 3pt) and he upped his playmaking (3.7 apg) which had people thinking he could be a versatile, poor man's Pippen sort of player: good playmaker, passable offense, good defender of multiple positions. His name was talked about as a possible future All-Star.

Last year was a letdown, his 3pt shooting regressed and while he's probably a plus defender he's not lockdown by any means.

So at this point? He has a small chance of developing into something better, but this is his 7th year in the league. He's a decent starter and would be a great 6th man on a championship team given his versatility. A great fit for the Cs in my opinion, esp. if we can convince him to emphasize defense.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Gordon has some good points, but his 3pt shooting isn't anything to write home about, and it seems to me that the team should use the TPE on one or more players who can really shoot the 3. In that respect, it seems like Barnes might be a better fit.

[pearljammer10]

who you trading off to get him ? 

Edwards and a pick

It will take 3 first rounders from us mostly because they are expected to be way after lottery picks. Maybe Danny can convince Orlando that Romeo, Grant, Timelord and a pick is worth 3 first rounders

I don’t think Gordon has that value.  What team would ever give up three first rounders for him?

Zero chance Gordon takes three firsts to get. 1 could arguably be an overlay depending on the deal.

[NKY fan]

who you trading off to get him ? 

Edwards and a pick

It will take 3 first rounders from us mostly because they are expected to be way after lottery picks. Maybe Danny can convince Orlando that Romeo, Grant, Timelord and a pick is worth 3 first rounders

I don’t think Gordon has that value.  What team would ever give up three first rounders for him?

Zero chance Gordon takes three firsts to get. 1 could arguably be an overlay depending on the deal.

You and Danny think alike and would never complete a deal like that lol...
So if Gordon is worth less than the 25th pick in the draft why would anyone want him on our team 🤔 ? Is that what you’re saying?

[Sophomore]

who you trading off to get him ? 

Edwards and a pick

It will take 3 first rounders from us mostly because they are expected to be way after lottery picks. Maybe Danny can convince Orlando that Romeo, Grant, Timelord and a pick is worth 3 first rounders

I’d gladly give three 1st rounders for Gordon. Those would all be late picks and we have a very full roster.  Maybe we ofter two 1st and a pick swap in 2025.

I’d rather try to clear some of the logjam on our roster by sending 2-3 younger players and one pick - if there’s anybody they like as a prospect.

[jambr380]

I like Gordon, but worry about the cost to get him. I'm just here for my obligatory Justise Winslow recommendation. He's still the guy that I think would work wonderfully within the Cs system, is cheap-ish, has a team option for 2021-22, and is still only 24 years old.

[Moranis]

I think you wait to see if Draymond Green becomes available

A guy that you said in the other thread was cooked......

As a core piece to a contender.  He is still a super valuable role player.

And in that other thread I proposed Langford, Nesmith, and a first or two.  I think that is a good trade for both teams.  And that puts Green and Smart in the same general range as players and if those are your 4th and 5th best players, you are doing pretty good overall. 

[hwangjini_1]

Barnes' contract is about 4 million more, which may not seem like a ton, but could be the difference in another rotation player.

Fournier is absolutely terrible on defense. He's fine, but doesn't get me excited.

I've been on the Aaron Gordon train for a while. If you watch him play, he plays a lot bigger than he is. There are small swings (like Grant Williams), but Aaron Gordon just looks way bigger out there. I think he would be a really good small ball 5 in stints here or there, but his natural position has always been the 4. His defense one-on-one would be a big help to the Celtic rotation. I also think his offense would fit Brad's system at a high level.

could you expand on this please. i like him but gordon's shooting stats last year include:

30.8% from three point land.
50% FTs

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Barnes' contract is about 4 million more, which may not seem like a ton, but could be the difference in another rotation player.

Fournier is absolutely terrible on defense. He's fine, but doesn't get me excited.

I've been on the Aaron Gordon train for a while. If you watch him play, he plays a lot bigger than he is. There are small swings (like Grant Williams), but Aaron Gordon just looks way bigger out there. I think he would be a really good small ball 5 in stints here or there, but his natural position has always been the 4. His defense one-on-one would be a big help to the Celtic rotation. I also think his offense would fit Brad's system at a high level.

could you expand on this please. i like him but gordon's shooting stats last year include:

30.8% from three point land.
50% FTs

Sure. It's an opinion about Gordon's game. I don't think Gordon has consistently been given a chance to attack closeouts in the Magic offense. They've never had enough shooting to have open lanes and he's consistently been on ball. I think if he played off of other scorers (the Js) and attacked closeouts, he'd be pretty efficient attacking the rim.

CBS has historically been pretty good at working guys with low efficiency into a high level team offense. He did it with guys like Crowder, Turner, and Smart (and maybe Brown if you consider his college efficiency). I think he could do it with Gordon.

I also see him as a small-ball 5. The Cs use their bigs as distributers and passers a lot. I think Gordon's has pretty high level court vision, but he's always played out of position, against clogged defenses, and with meh teammates. If you put him in a situation where he could make quick reads and distribute the ball, I think his passing would shine.

[Sophomore]

Barnes' contract is about 4 million more, which may not seem like a ton, but could be the difference in another rotation player.

Fournier is absolutely terrible on defense. He's fine, but doesn't get me excited.

I've been on the Aaron Gordon train for a while. If you watch him play, he plays a lot bigger than he is. There are small swings (like Grant Williams), but Aaron Gordon just looks way bigger out there. I think he would be a really good small ball 5 in stints here or there, but his natural position has always been the 4. His defense one-on-one would be a big help to the Celtic rotation. I also think his offense would fit Brad's system at a high level.

could you expand on this please. i like him but gordon's shooting stats last year include:

30.8% from three point land.
50% FTs

Sure. It's an opinion about Gordon's game. I don't think Gordon has consistently been given a chance to attack closeouts in the Magic offense. They've never had enough shooting to have open lanes and he's consistently been on ball. I think if he played off of other scorers (the Js) and attacked closeouts, he'd be pretty efficient attacking the rim.

CBS has historically been pretty good at working guys with low efficiency into a high level team offense. He did it with guys like Crowder, Turner, and Smart (and maybe Brown if you consider his college efficiency). I think he could do it with Gordon.

I also see him as a small-ball 5. The Cs use their bigs as distributers and passers a lot. I think Gordon's has pretty high level court vision, but he's always played out of position, against clogged defenses, and with meh teammates. If you put him in a situation where he could make quick reads and distribute the ball, I think his passing would shine.

Gordon might also be setting picks and then rolling to the basket - he’s got plenty of vertical pop. They could run a few plays for him, too, when he gets a downscreen on the weakside and can roll into the middle. When he gets the ball a step ahead of his defender he should be able to head to the basket or make the right pass to punish a rotation. He’ll probably collect 2-3 cheap baskets a game as an offensive rebounder.

But if I’m honest I mostly want to see him on defense. Brown, Tatum, and Gordon is a heck of a trio of wing defenders. Add smart and Thompson and that is a league-leading unit or very close to it.

[Birdman]

Rather have Gordon than TimeLord