Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Magic
This offseason, Aaron Gordon was a name that came up a lot in trade rumors, but the Orlando Magic never really made a move to trade him. They are in an awkward position as a franchise right now because even though they have made the playoffs the last two seasons, they are far from being a championship caliber team.
Jonathan Isaac will miss the entire season with a torn ACL, but Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke will be making their NBA debuts this season and are the future of the organization. Bringing in Kemba Walker to pair with Nikola Vucevic could make this team better and Walker would be an excellent mentor to Anthony.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Aaron Gordon when he first entered the league as the 4th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Magic and while he struggled early on in his career, Gordon has really turned himself into a solid third or fourth scoring option. His outside shot is finally starting to improve and he has improved as a defender, but it does not seem like he is a guy the Magic feel comfortable investing a lot of money into for the future of the organization.
The same goes for Evan Fournier who is on an expiring contract and is now 28-years old. While he has proven to be useful for this team over the years and has been one of their better scorers, Kemba Walker is a much better overall player than Fournier and can create a great backcourt with Cole Anthony by his side.
Both Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier are not going to take the Magic past the first-round of the playoffs, but Kemba Walker gives this organization the ability to and potentially add another All-Star talent as well.
A lot of players around the league adore Kemba Walker and would love to play with him, which is why the Orlando Magic could wind up becoming a hot spot for high-level talent if Walker was to be traded there.
At this point in both of their careers, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier have reached their full potential and are nothing more than reliable role players for the Orlando Magic. Bringing in another high-level, All-Star talent to pair with Nikola Vucevic makes the Magic an intriguing team moving forward and could be what they need to finally build this team into a true playoff contender.
