Dallas Mavericks: Is Aaron Gordon worth the Risk?
Just this past week rumors swirled that Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon was one player the Dallas Mavericks would have interest in. For the Mavs, is Gordon worth pursuing?
The Dallas Mavericks should have plenty of cap money to spend this summer as a number of Mavs players will hit the market this off-season. Nerlens Noel, Salah Mejri, and numerous other players are expected to hit the market this off-season. Assuming Dallas does not sign the current members back to long term contracts, they should have plenty of money to spend.
One player Dallas has shown interest in this summer is Orlando big man Aaron Gordon. Gordon has plenty of up-size and tremendous skill set to be a top forward in the league.
Is the young Magic star worth the risk for Dallas?
Gordon is currently averaging 18.2 points per game to go with 8.2 rebounds. Both statistics are career highs for the Orlando forward, who has improved upon his game from last season.
Two key areas that could be attributed to this season’s success are: minutes played and 3 point percentage.
Last season, Gordon played in 28.7 minutes per game, compared to this season where he is in the game for 33.7 minutes. The extra five minutes have helped the Magic star improve his all-around game.
Another area where Gordon has upped his game, is three point shooting. This season. the young Magic saw his three point percentage improve by .68 percent. Gordon is currently making 2 out of every five three pointers shot.
Year by year, Gordon continues to improve is numbers. His versatile style of hitting the boards and his quickness equipped with his shooting makes him one of the top forwards in the game.
Aaron Gordon has been in the NBA for over three years and his youth gives him plenty of opportunities to grow.
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Currently, the Orlando power forward is 22 years old and if the Mavericks do make a run at him he could be exactly what the team is looking for.
If Dallas can bring Gordon to the organization, it would be give them a trio of young stars. The team’s two future stars Harrison Barnes is 25 years old and rookie Dennis Smith Jr. is 20.
Gordon would fit into the organizations’ future plans as it would give the team a forward to pair Barnes with, along with a alley-hoop partner for Smith to toss the ball too.
Along with that, it would give the team a successor to replace future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. With the future of Dirk still up in the air, Gordon would give them a plan B to turn to if the big German does indeed retire.
Even if Dirk does come back for a 21st season, Gordon would still fit the team’s long term goals and it would even allow the Dallas All-Star to come off the bench.
Next: Mavericks: Nowitzki, not Cuban, best man to save the franchise
There is no doubt Aaron Gordon is a guy the Mavs should truly take a look at. Smith Jr’s tough quickness paired with Gordon’s versatile speed would cost many problems for NBA teams.