Boston Celtics: 2 trade packages for Cs to land Aaron Gordon

Boston Celtics trade No. 1) Danny Ainge opts to use his TPE

For months now, the conversation pertaining to the Boston Celtics has been about how they’ll opt to use their historically large Traded Player Exception that was acquired in the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade this past offseason, which has a total value of $28.5 million.

Being that Aaron Gordon’s 2020-21 salary is $10 million less than this ($18.1 million), he could easily be absorbed into the team’s TPE.

Now, as we said earlier, assets, of course, have to be sent Orlando’s way in return for the 25-year-old baller and, based on ESPN writer Brian Windhorst’s recent breakdown of what the franchise may want in exchange, the Cs could easily be in the running for AG, should they be willing to part with a few of their future picks:

"“Aaron Gordon is the name I’m hearing most often as the top guy out there. A number of teams have contacted the Magic with offers and their ask is pretty high here. They’re looking for multiple first-round picks or a first-round pick and another young player.”"

In this league, of course draft capital is important, but when you’re a team like Boston that has multiple young All-Stars in tow and legitimate championship aspirations, such commodities should be viewed as expendable, especially if it can net you a good player at a position of great need.

On the season, Gordon is finding himself posting impressive all-around averages of 14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and just shy of a block per game on 44 percent shooting from the floor and a career-high 40 percent shooting from deep.

Though still possessing the freakish athleticism and rim-rattling abilities that earned him a top-5 pick back in the 2014 NBA Draft, throughout his tenure in the association the big man has developed his game to become more of a complete player (something similar to that of Blake Griffin’s progressions into his prime) as he now has the capability of spacing the floor and playing the role of somewhat of a  point-forward if need be (has averaged 5.4 assists along with a 10 assist triple-double and a few other close calls to such a stat line since Markelle Fultz went down for the season).

For two first-round picks and three seconds, it could very well be worth bringing on the services of the high-flying four and the remaining two years of his contract.