The Blazers Need To Meet Orlando's Reported Asking Price For Aaron Gordon
It was always clear the Trail Blazers wouldn't get Aaron Gordon on the cheap. Now that the Orlando Magic's steep asking price in trade talks for the veteran forward has been confirmed, it's time for Neil Olshey to pick up the phone, swallow hard and meet it.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Magic are seeking both a quality young player and first-round pick in any potential trade for Gordon.
To pry Gordon from the Magic, it would cost a first-round pick and a good young player, league sources told HoopsHype.
The Blazers' interest in Gordon, an almost annual tradition leading up to the trade deadline, was reported on March 14.
Portland's obvious preference in a deal for Gordon would be to use Zach Collins as the on-court asset attached to Rodney Hood's contract and a 2023 first-round pick –only in line with league rules if the Blazers lift lottery protections on the first-rounder they owe the Houston Rockets via the Robert Covington trade.
Collins still projects as a valuable two-way big in the modern NBA despite an early career littered by injuries. All that time away from the court has worn the luster completely off his long-shot star potential, though. It's still unclear if Collins, stuck between frontcourt positions, has the tools to be an effective starter. His upcoming restricted free agency further complicates his future with the cash-strapped Blazers.
The problem for Portland is that Orlando shares those same concerns. The Magic are butting up against the salary cap as is, and still have to pay Evan Fournier this summer. Nikola Vucevic is a franchise cornerstone at center; Jonathan Isaac, health provided, still possesses Defensive Player of the Year upside.
Does Orlando really want the obligation of paying an injury-plagued big like Collins in restricted free agency just to come off the bench? The Magic might still be holding out hope for Mo Bamba, too. Collins just doesn't quite fit that "good young player" archetype Orlando reportedly covets in a Gordon trade, especially considering his contractual stat.
Fortunately for Portland, there's a sweetener to offer Orlando in place of Collins in Gordon trade talks: Florida native Anfernee Simons, who paid homage to boyhood idol and Magic legend Tracy McGrady while winning the dunk contest last month.
The narrative aspect of Simons returning home would likely be inconsequential, but he's shown enough improvement this season to be earmarked as a surefire rotation player going forward. His aerial exploits at All-Star weekend combined with his burgeoning off-dribble three-point shooting ability keep Simons' on-paper ceiling high, too.
Simons, a longtime favorite of Olshey's, has been the odd man out in Terry Stotts' rotation since C.J. McCollum returned. His forthcoming payday as a restricted free agent in summer 2022 is an uncomfortable reality the Blazers must confront. They're tying too many financial resources to the backcourt even before ponying up the dough for Gary Trent Jr. this summer.
How many shoot-first guards who lack positional versatility can Portland really afford to keep around?
Simons doesn't fill a need for a Magic team that's committed to Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony in the backcourt. Even so, he might be worth a look regardless given the tenuous state of Orlando's place in the league. No one would be surprised if John Hammond and Jeff Weltman blew up this roster a year from now.
Gordon wouldn't transform the Blazers into a top-10 defense, nor solve all the offensive problems they run into every year in the playoffs when defenses make anyone but Lillard beat them. He's only 25, though, and has often played a perimeter role for the Magic that's never maximized his ability. Orlando's perpetual struggles spacing the floor certainly don't make life easier for Gordon even when he's playing power forward.
Acquiring Gordon wouldn't be about this season alone, either. He's under contract on bargain declining salary through next season, after which Portland could exceed the salary cap to re-sign him using Bird Rights. Otherwise, the Blazers wouldn't have near enough cap flexibility to bring in a player of Gordon's caliber for the last years of Lillard's prime.
And that's what this is really about more than anything else – opening Lillard's championship window for as long as possible. Portland owes that to a homegrown superstar who's pledged to spend his entire career in Rip City.
And as he's made abundantly clear over the past couple months, Lillard may just be good enough to drag the right supporting cast deep into the playoffs. But there's no way to know until the Blazers really try and give it to him.
The trade deadline is March 25, and Portland certainly isn't Gordon's lone suitor around the league. Lillard should be tapping his right wrist in Portland's front office; the time to cash in for Gordon is now.