You’ve heard me talk about it on The Solar Report Podcast. I am an Aaron Gordon fan. And the time is coming in which the Suns could make a move for the powerful power forward.
December 15th is an important date in the NBA. It is the date that roughly 90% of the NBA is available to trade. Any player who signed as a free agent or was traded this past off season will become eligible to move, and the stories have been running rampant on who will go where. Who are this year's sellers and who are the buyers? Now I’m sure that the Los Angeles Clippers won’t be moving their free agent signing of Kawhi Leonard, but suddenly names like D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and JJ Redick are linked to teams in need of assistance.
It’s been an interesting start to the 2019-2020 season, as many teams are in the playoff hunt. The parody in the league is very different from years past. The Warriors aren’t the shoe in for the Western Conference Champs this year, which creates hope for every franchise in the West. Finally. The typical sellers aren’t selling this year, which means the amount of activity between December 15 and February 6 (the NBA trade deadline) will be quite interesting. The right move could mean playoff success and glory, whereas the wrong move could anger a fan base and see a couple of GM's leave town.
What does December 15 mean to the Phoenix Suns? Plenty. James Jones and the Phoenix Suns were wheelin’ and dealin’ in the off season to create the current roster. Kelly Oubre signed a free agent deal, as did Ricky Rubio, Frank Kaminsky, Jared Harper (two way contract), and Cheick Diallo. Aron Baynes, Dario Saric, and Jevon Carter came to Phoenix via trades. Tyler Johnson exercised his player option, and why wouldn’t he? Who else would pay $19M for him?! In short, of the 15 players on our current roster, 9 just became available to move. So do we move anyone? If so, who?
I’m glad you asked…
The Kevin Love talk has recently dominated Suns Twitter. Although Dario Saric has been playing really well in a ninja kind of way (11.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg), we want more. Pairing someone next to DeAndre Ayton (once he is back from suspension) could equate to a dominating interior. Couple that with someone who can stretch the floor, play defense, and shoot the three and the Suns could be really dangerous. Therefore, in many fans’ minds, Kevin Love is the obvious choice. He rebounds (career 10.8 rpg). He shoots the three (career 36% 3PT). He is experienced (63 playoff games, 1 ring in 2015-16). He could compliment Ayton and perhaps teach him low post rebounding dominance.
My problem with Love is threefold: his health, his age, and dat contract! Since entering the league in 2008-09 he has missed 31.1% of his games due to injuries. A list of those injuries include a broken left hand, strained groin, broken right hand, fractured right hand, dislocated left shoulder, concussion, and a left foot injury. He recently has been experiencing some back issues as well. At 31 years of age, he’s not getting any younger. Couple that with the $120.9M through the 2022-23 season (in which he’ll be 34) and it’s just not a good deal.
Who do I believe the Suns should go after? Well, if you read the name of this article, clearly you know it’s AG. He’s electric. He’s high flying. He’s efficient. He’s physical. He’s an ideal complement to DeAndre Ayton. And he’s dying for a change.
Magic GM John Hammond, who took the reins of the organization in 2017, took 6’11” PF/C Jonathan Isaac from Florida State with the 6th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. It was clear that his goal was to fortify Gordon’s talents with an athletic big next to him. The thought, at least from my perspective, was to use Isaac at the five (seeing as they used 6’8” Bismark Biyombo and 6’11” Nikola Vučević at center the previous season). Isaac didn’t play much in his injury plagued rookie campaign, but when he did it was always at the four, which confused me. Was Orlando’s sole purpose for drafting Isaac was to be Gordon’s backup? Time would tell.
Hammond was there to witness Gordon put up a career high 17.6 ppg in the 2017-18 season, as well as snag a career high 7.9 rpg. Yes, Gordon was injured for part of that campaign, but he displayed the growth and promise you want to see from a 4th year player. He played at power forward 91% of the time that year (his highest of any season). Hammond signed Gordon to a 4 year, $76M contract following his performance.
Orlando has taken an interesting approach to the construction of their roster following Aaron Gordon’s break out 2017-18 season. The Magic once again had the 6th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and this time opted for yet another big. Mo Bamba, the 7-footer from Texas was selected. The log jam at center/power forward began, and it was clear that Gordon’s Orlando destiny was to play the small forward position. 2018-19 saw Gordon’s power forward playing percentage drop 31%, making way for a Gordon/Isaac/Vučević front court. Success came with it, as the Magic went 42-40, making the playoffs for the first time since Stan Van Gundy was calling plays back in 2012. But dissension may have come with it as well.
Is Gordon happy in his current role? The 2019-20 campaign has seen Gordon off to his slowest start of his career. His scoring is down. His shooting percentage is down. His dunks are down. He did have a sprained ankle that held him out of three games, but his motor hasn’t been as high, and Orlando fans are noticing. Go ahead, visit Orlando’s Reddit page. Hear what the fans are saying about AG. They are falling out of love with him. He isn't as engaged. He isn't happy with the style of offense Orlando is playing with.
And it makes sense. They’ve taken him out of the position and area of the court in which he can be successful. In an NBA that promotes spacing, he lives in a clogged lane. He now shoots 33% of his shots from behind the arc. Gordon could blow by fours and fives to get easy buckets and highlight reel dunks. But at the three, with athletic players defending him, he isn't allowed to be as dominant.
Now might be the best time for Orlando to maximize their return for their star. And the Suns should oblige them.
We have all of the proper assets to acquire Gordon. His deal has 3 years left on it, and it is a favorable contract that was front loaded, paying out $19.8M this year, $18.1M next year, and $16.4M in 2021-22 (when Gordon will be 26). Perhaps we can ship Saric and Johnson (which I assume Orlando would buy out) and a 1st for AG. Maybe it involves another pick. Perhaps they want Mikal Bridges. Hell, I’d give them Frank Kaminsky and his expiring contract for a ham sandwich and a bag of Cheetos. Whatever they want, it is worth exploring. We won’t affect our depth too much either. Give up some picks…I’m tired of the Suns drafting 18 year old projects.
It’s hard to say you want someone who (allegedly) quits on their team. But like Anthony Davis in Los Angeles, a new change of scenery may do wonders for Aaron Gordon. The Magic, although investing in him financially (somewhat…$76M isn’t what it used to be…did I just say that?!), the roster they’ve built around him doesn’t work. He's a peacock...he's gotta fly!
Having a legit point guard (I love you, Ricky Rubio) would open up his game as well. He knows that cutting to the basketball will be rewarded, and the Suns could do just that. His style of offense would mesh perfectly with the Suns. He may be a little small for a four (and probably why Orlando has played him at the three), but his 220-pound frame and leaping ability would allow him to bang it out down there with the best of them. He has a 7’0” wingspan (Dario’s? 6’10”). His much improved defense would be welcomed as well. He set a career high with 3.3 defensive win shares last season.
Unlike Kevin Love, Aaron Gordon is player getting ready to enter his prime. Now is the time to get him, to try him out with this team, and see if it brings success to the Valley of the Sun. Pull the trigger James Jones. We are city that is known for making a splash by acquiring high end talent.
Aaron Gordon is high end talent.