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Is Denver Nuggets already making Aaron Gordon a trade candidate?

The Nuggets signed Aaron Gordon at the 2021 trade deadline day in a move with the Magic. The trade saw R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, and a top-5 protected 2025 first-round pick head to Orlando Magic, with Aaron Gordon making his way to Denver Nuggets and US online gambling sites backing the transfer with odds.

And for the Mile High City side, the results have been a mixed one.

Following the move, Aaron Gordon averaged points totaling 10.2, with 2.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in the 25 regular-season matches he played. Then the playoffs arrived. During the Play-off's first-round versus the Portland Trail Blazers, he was a force, recording an average of 12.5 points, with 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while recording a shoot of 60 percent from three on 2.5 attempts per match.

Then came the game against the Phoenix Suns, and that’s where the bottom fell out for Aaron Gordon.

He went 0-for-8 from three in those four matches and shot just 41 percent from the pitch, as Phoenix Suns swept Denver Nuggets. Undoubtedly, those defeats don’t solely fall at the feet of Gordon, but as one of the more leading members of the squad, more was expected from him.

And Aaron’s inability to meet expectations is why his stay at the club could be a short one. He has only a year remaining on his contract, reportedly valued at $16,409,091, and will become a free agent next summer window and best real money online pokies will be keeping a close eye on the transfer.

For a franchise like Denver Nuggets, who traded Gary Harris to Orlando Magic – a dependable scoring guard, Roderick "R. J." Hampton Jr. to Orlando Magic – a high-upside project, and a future star, watching Aaron Gordon walk for nothing would mean bad business for the Nuggets. Small market squads don’t have the opulence of pivoting to another uncertain All-Star in the free-agent transfer market – and the Denver Nuggets (who have been walking this tightrope forever) will be well aware of the risks involved.

Truth is, Aaron Gordon has been miscast for almost his whole playing career. The move to Nuggets was meant to put him in a position more suited to his incredible talents, which would point up his impact on the basketball court. Of course, that went out the window when Canadian Jamal Murray got injured.

In Orlando, Aaron Gordon was majorly the focal point of the team’s offense. With the core duty of both offensive creation and finishing play, the Orlando Magic asked him to play beyond his genuine capabilities. In return, he offered inconsistent playmaking and offensive plays, while his defense didn’t match his ability.

With no solid timetable on the return of Murray to the squad and the undoubted teething problems Murray will face as he works back to complete fitness, Aaron Gordon could find himself playing the secondary role for the entire part of the season.

Should he fail to find consistency in his game or learn to live in the ecosystem of Nikola Jokic, he could find himself being traded as the Nuggets look to recover some of the trade assets they let go for him earlier in the year.

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