The Boston Celtics reached pole position to negotiate with 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 can use his $ 28.5 million Negotiated Player Exception from Gordon Hayward’s signature and negotiation to absorb Gordon, but would have to structure a separate deal for Fournier.
From Amick:
The Celtics are now considered the favorite in Gordon’s draw. A source with knowledge of Gordon’s negotiations said that the Celtics did indeed put two choices from the first round on the table, and that the structure of the deal would also include Guard Magic (and future free agent) Evan Fournier going to the Celtics.
In this complex picture, the most likely scenario would then involve the Celtics guard and the All-Defensive team twice from the first team Marcus Smart going to Magic, Gordon and Fournier going to Boston and the Celtics using their $ 28.5 million exception in the process.
However, as the exception cannot be used with more than one player, it seems that the teams would have to find additional teams to do all the mathematical work. I’ll leave the rest of that analysis to Hollinger to find out. The end result is as follows: Boston is now considered the leader for Gordon, with Denver seen as the second strongest suitor.
Clearly, the Celtics are not a typical 21-22 team struggling to stay out of a series of games in the postseason. They have been to three of the last four finals of the conference. They have two All-Stars in Tatum and Brown, and if Kemba Walker manages to pick up a consistent pace at the end, this is his third star. They have a reservoir of individual creators and versatile defenders, probably the two most important playoff components next to the shot.
In short, there is a reason why the Celtics believe they can go back to the conference title mix. None of the teams at the top of the East are perfect. Brooklyn struggles to defend itself. Philadelphia lacks an elite half-court creator. The Bucks have to prove that they can succeed with new defensive schemes in the playoffs, and they are betting heavily on Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton to be the creators of the midfield when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the walls that will surely form in front of him.
Gordon would be a great option for the Celtics as a four-man athlete with a legitimate 3-point reach to open the track and play pick-and-pop with his plethora of side scorers, which would then include Fournier as well. Boston really struggles to create the attack as a unit. It doesn’t move the ball well. It is very “in the bag” to dribble to create face-to-face looks. If you’re going to exist like that, you need as many capable creators as possible. Gordon and Fournier fit the profile.
Losing Smart’s overall defense and energy would be a big blow, obviously, but Gordon brings a lot in that direction like a bigger, more athletic cork. The Celtics played the patient’s card for a long time. They made big moves, negotiating for Kyrie Irving and hiring Hayward and Walker, but it was always done with the safety net of a lot of future high-leverage choices in the back pocket, in case the current plan needed additional support or a whole new design. .
Those choices, from Sacramento in 2019 and Memphis in 2020, were supposed to be big lottery choices, but the Kings and Grizzlies ended up performing better than expected. As a result, the Celtics ended up choosing 14th in the last two drafts, which earned Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith. All the choices of the Nets theft in 2013 are gone.
The final product must be on the floor while we speak. That’s where the urgency in Boston comes from. There are no more aces up its sleeve. That, for the most part, is that. So you can understand Danny Ainge’s biggest incentive to maximize his current squad. It didn’t work with Hayward; he has always been injured in Boston, and it is painful to see him recover his former form in Charlotte. The reverse happened with Walker. He was an elite in Charlotte, and he is a wounded and diminished version of himself in Boston.
Could Gordon and Fournier be the sparks that rekindled Boston’s bright future? Stay tuned.