With less than one day to go until the NBA trade deadline, the Boston Celtics are one team expected to be active in trade discussions for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon.
Of course, news broke on Monday that Gordon formally requested a trade from the Magic after growing frustration with losses and injuries in recent years. He reportedly wants to join a contender, which would certainly leave the Celtics in the mix.
On Tuesday, Gordon addressed the reported trade rumors following a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets.
“There have been times where I just expressed my frustration to management,” Gordon said. “Frustration with the losses, the injuries, the way we’ve been playing, how we’ve been playing and how many losses have accumulated over the years. So, it’s just my frustration kind of boiling over, I would say. I think a lot of people share that sentiment with me of frustration.”
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According to Brian Robb of MassLive, the Celtics are offering the Magic a future first-round pick and a young player, either rookie Aaron Nesmith or second-year guard Romeo Langford for Gordon. The Celtics are not expected to include Marcus Smart in a potential package.
Armed with several young players, the Celtics likely want to try to package one of them in order to acquire additional help for a playoff push. Gordon, through 24 games this season, is averaging 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds on a career-high 39.3% shooting from 3-point range.
While the Celtics have shown interest in Gordon, other teams, including the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, have also been high on Gordon recently so Boston could find themselves in a bidding war for the seventh-year player.
Gordon has one year left on his contract, but with the Magic likely out of the picture, the organization will certainly look to flip him if they can land a promising young player or draft assets. With Boston having both, they could be the frontrunner for Gordon.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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