NBA Rumors: Magic Could Trade Aaron Gordon To Suns For Kelly Oubre Jr., ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
With Aaron Gordon remaining on the Orlando Magic despite the multiple trade rumors that surrounded him ahead of the February 6 deadline, many have speculated whether he will remain a part of the team’s plan in the 2020-21 campaign and beyond. Multiple trade ideas have hinted at the 6-foot-9-inch forward playing elsewhere in the coming season, including one that has him moving to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kelly Oubre Jr., backup point guard Ty Jerome, and a 2022 second-round pick.
As explained by Bleacher Report‘s Dan Favale on Friday, Oubre might be a better fit for the Magic than Gordon is, as his ability to shoot from beyond the arc could provide Orlando with the floor spacing its offense needs. While Oubre was described as a capable, albeit “choppier” passer than Gordon, the former Kansas Jayhawks star’s other strengths, including his skill in running the pick-and-roll and “manageable” turnover rate, were mentioned as other reasons why trading him to the Magic could make sense.
As Favale sees it, it may hurt to trade Gordon at a point in his career where he has become a very skilled playmaker for a big man, but probably not to the point of harming the Magic’s offense.
Although Oubre’s career three-point shooting percentage is slightly below average at 32.9 percent, he has shot a respectable 35.2 percent from long range for the Suns this season, while also averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, as shown on his Basketball-Reference player page. According to Bleacher Report‘s Favale, the 24-year-old small forward is generally skilled in creating his own shots in transition and has the eighth-best effective field-goal percentage among the 139 players who have attempted at least 100 pull-up jumpers in 2019-20.
Kelly Oubre dunks all over PG13 ?? pic.twitter.com/WbfniTgoWP
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) December 18, 2019
As Gordon is considered a more versatile and skilled defender than Oubre, Favale wrote that the Magic would still have frontcourt players such as Al-Farouq Aminu and Jonathan Isaac capable of picking up the slack if the former No. 4 overall draft pick gets traded. Per Basketball-Reference, Gordon has averages of 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and shooting percentages of 43.3 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from beyond the arc in the 2019-20 season.
Talking about how the hypothetical trade could impact the Suns, Favale pointed out that the deal may be slightly risky, considering how having Gordon team up with center Deandre Ayton and point guard Ricky Rubio could result in less-than-ideal spacing. However, he opined that the erstwhile Magic starter is an instant upgrade over incumbent Dario Saric as Phoenix’s starting power forward, particularly on the defensive end and as an additional source of playmaking.
