Orlando Magic Receive: G Kemba Walker & BOS 2022 2nd Round Pick
Boston Celtics Receive: F Aaron Gordon & G/F Evan Fournier
Trading away Kemba Walker may not be that crazy of a move for the Boston Celtics, especially since there are a lot of unknowns about his health and knee injury moving forward. Not only are Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier two excellent role players, but they are proven players who can play numerous positions on the court.
Given their scoring output and versatility, the Boston Celtics would be receiving the key pieces they need to their rotations in order to make a deep playoff push. While there are plenty of unknowns with Kemba Walker, there are virtually no unknowns with the likes of Gordon and Fournier as you know what you are getting with these two.
Kemba Walker is owed $34.3M this year and is under contract through the 2022-23 season, assuming he opts into his $37.6M player option for the 2022-23 season. Both Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier are on expiring contracts this season and if they do not pan out the way Boston hopes, then they have a lot of cap room to go after another All-Star talent in free agency next offseason.
Last season, Evan Fournier was the second-leading scorer on the Orlando Magic and Aaron Gordon was the 4th. Together, these two combined for over 32 points per game and each bring something different to the table.
Evan Fournier is more of a three-point specialist than anything else and in his eight-year career, he has shot 37.5% from three-point range. Aaron Gordon on the other hand is a crazy athletic combo-forward who can play from perimeter to post. His instincts to run the court in transition and push the pace could make the Boston Celtics a crazy athletic team.
It may sound dumb for the Celtics to quit on Kemba Walker this early in his contract, but the NBA is all about winning titles. Eastern Conference Finals appearances do nothing for an organization and its players, which is why they may be more willing to trade Kemba than people believe.
With all of that being said, let’s take a closer look at this trade and why it would make sense for both the Celtics and Magic.
