The Portland Trail Blazers are aggressively pursuing 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. Should a deal not materialize, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is a trade target they could pivot to, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports.
"Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon was considered among the contingency plans for the Heat if the franchise didn’t land Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade, league sources told HoopsHype. Similarly, the Portland Trail Blazers have expressed trade interest in Gordon should they not land Jaylen Brown, their preferred target, HoopsHype has learned. Ironically, the Celtics have also kept tabs on Gordon from afar."
Blazers view Aaron Gordon as a backup option if they can't land Jaylen Brown
Blazers GM Joe Cronin has made his offseason intentions clear. Though Portland has been quiet so far, they've expressed varying levels of interest in essentially every star trade candidate.
First, it was Milwaukee Bucks franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ultimately wound up in South Beach. It wasn't for Portland's lack of a potential package that Miami outbid them, as the Blazers couldn't justify an all-in move for someone who, in all likelihood, would turn out to be just a one-year rental.
After missing out on the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, a backup option connected to Portland was the Washington Wizards' talented but injury-prone big man Anthony Davis, who remains a realistic but polarizing trade target for the Blazers.
After LaMelo Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was even revealed that the Blazers were among the teams expressing interest in the star point guard.
Now, we can add Nuggets champion Aaron Gordon to that list that only continues to get longer heading into July.
Blazers risk no-man's-land with an Aaron Gordon trade
With his championship experience and drastically improved floor spacing ability, Gordon is an intriguing option for Portland as a potential Jerami Grant upgrade. He'd likely be far cheaper to acquire than Brown, allowing the Blazers a puncher's chance to win with Damian Lillard without having to mortgage as significant a chunk of their future.
The downside of that is that while Brown would be a legitimate co-star for Deni Avdija in Portland, Gordon wouldn't necessarily be the needle-mover required for a deep playoff run. From that standpoint, Portland may be better off taking an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to potential star trade targets this summer.
As talented and even underrated as Gordon is, he may be a step in the wrong direction in terms of being caught in between Portland's two timelines. They either need to make an aggressive splash for a top 20 player like Brown or find a way to better position themselves for the future.
Gordon would be an exciting short-term move, but one that would likely keep the Blazers stuck in the no-man's-land they currently find themselves in.
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