Celtics Reportedly Front Runners for Aaron Gordon

Days prior to the NBA trade deadline and the the Boston Celtics have reportedly emerged as the front runner to land Magic forward Aaron Gordon.

The news was first reported by Matt Moore of The Action Network.

The deal would reportedly also send Evan Fournier to Boston. The Celtics would ship Orlando two (likely protected) 1st round picks, guard Marcus Smart and the $28.5 million Traded Player Exception from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade.

The Garden Report crew of Jimmy Toscano, John Zannis, Josue Pavon and Bobby Maning react to the report.

Here is more of what Matt Moore reported on the deal….

Boston, multiple sources confirmed, has offered two first-round picks for Aaron Gordon. No other teams on the board have yet to reach that offer level. It’s not known yet what types of protections are attached to those talks but there is an assumption there will be some, if not significant, protections on the first-rounders.

Additionally, the framework involves Evan Fournier going to Boston, with the Celtics sending a player, the two picks, and using their Traded Player Exception from the Gordon Hayward trade.

As to the player, negotiations continue with the Magic preferring Marcus Smart while Boston is reluctant to part with their longtime emotional heartbeat and All-Defensive Team guard.

Boston’s Traded Player Exception is not eligible to be dealt along with another player, so sources suggest the framework would include multiple deals as part of a greater framework.