NBA Trade Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves have shown interest in Aaron Gordon
What's the rumor?
Due to their 15-32 record, the Minnesota Timberwolves are already out of playoff contention - although the team remains committed to building a competitive team around Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves are known to be interested in Golden State's D'Angelo Russell, and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer is reporting that they have also shown trade interest in Orlando's Aaron Gordon:
One team that makes sense for Gordon is Minnesota, which called Orlando about Gordon this season, according to league sources.
In case you didn't know...
After excelling during his lone season at Arizona, Gordon was selected fourth overall by the Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft. Injuries disrupted his rookie campaign, although Gordon enjoyed a promising sophomore season, and he has been a regular starter Orlando since 2016.
After a breakout 2017-18 season, Gordon was tipped as a future All-Star - although his career has somewhat stalled over the past 18 months. Over 42 appearances this season, Gordon has averaged 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds, although he has shot just 41.8 percent from the field and his long-term fit alongside Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac remains questionable.
The heart of the matter
Gordon is entering the prime years of his career, and it looks increasingly likely that his future lies away from Orlando. Nevertheless, the Timberwolves will be wary of giving up all of their trade assets for the 24-year-old when Russell remains the man they want to pair with Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Ultimately, the Timberwolves could eventually move for Gordon, although it seems that he is more of a backup target.
What's next?
The Magic are back in action on Saturday evening as they take on the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will face off against the LA Clippers.