The Aaron Gordon trade rumors started feeling real the moment Marc Stein reported the Nuggets had discussed Jaylen Brown. You don’t casually kick the tires on a $57 million Celtic without being willing to blow something up. And if Denver is going that big, Gordon is almost certainly part of the deal.
The Denver Post confirmed it: Gordon is no longer untouchable in trade talks. Michael Scotto added that there are suitors already circling him, Cam Johnson, and Peyton Watson. Stein then clarified that Gordon is drawing the most external interest of the three.
This isn’t the Nuggets dumping Gordon. He was solid this past season with 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 49.7% shooting. He’s still one of the best “play next to Jokic” forwards in the league. He cuts, screens, finishes, defends wings, and asks for nothing. Teams would line up for that.
The problem is the payroll. Peyton Watson is reportedly in line for $28–30 million per year, Braun signed a five-year, $125 million extension, and the whole thing is getting expensive. Stein noted Johnson is probably more movable than Braun right now, but if Denver wants to make a real swing, Gordon is the name that unlocks it.
Here are the four best destinations.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Aaron Gordon
Denver Nuggets Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Deandre Ayton, Dalton Knecht, 2031 first-round pick, 2033 first-round pick
The Lakers can do this, but they have to actually try. Gordon makes $32 million next season. A weak package gets laughed out of the room.
Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4M) is the defensive forward who fits next to Jokic in a low-usage role. He’s not Gordon, but he’s not useless either. Deandre Ayton ($8.1M after opting in) is cheap center insurance, someone who can handle regular-season minutes so Denver doesn’t grind Jokic into dust in January.
Dalton Knecht is the young piece Denver would actually want: cheap, can shoot, has a future. Then two first-round picks, 2031 and 2033, because that’s the toll for acquiring a guy like Gordon.
The three players combine for around $24.7M. You might need a minimum contract tossed in to get to $32M depending on how the Lakers’ cap looks, especially with LeBron’s situation still unsettled. Either way, the framework works.
The basketball case writes itself. Luka Doncic needs forwards who defend, cut, screen, and don’t demand the ball. Gordon is exactly that. Throw in Reaves handling secondary creation, and suddenly the Lakers have size, toughness, and a real playoff structure; things they’ve been missing.
For Denver, the two picks are the whole reason to do this. Vanderbilt and Ayton are fine. Knecht is nice. But moving Gordon for futures only makes sense if the picks are real ones, and two first-rounders at least make that conversation worth having.
3. Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets Receive: Aaron Gordon
Denver Nuggets Receive: Jabari Smith Jr., Clint Capela, 2029 first-round pick
The Rockets went 52-30 last season, ranked sixth in defensive rating, and even had Kevin Durant scoring 26.0 points per night on tremendous efficiency. They are not building anymore. They’re trying to win now, and Gordon fits that energy perfectly.
Jabari Smith Jr. is the centerpiece: 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 36.3% from three, still only 23 years old and 6-foot-11. He’s not the defender Gordon is, but as a stretch forward next to Jokic, he’s got real value. Denver could use him. Capela at $7M is basically a useful backup center at a price that won’t hurt. The 2029 first is the extra sweetener.
For Houston, the question is pretty simple: Smith might have more long-term upside, but Gordon is more ready to help Durant win right now. He already knows how to operate next to a dominant passing big man, so they can plug him in next to Alperen Sengun, let Amen Thompson and Durant handle the wings, and the Rockets immediately have more physical depth than they do today.
2. San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Aaron Gordon
Denver Nuggets Receive: Keldon Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, 2029 first-round pick
The Spurs just went 62-20 and made the Finals. They have the superstar. They don’t need another young project, they need playoff-ready bodies around Victor Wembanyama right now.
Gordon is exactly that. He guards bigger wings, cuts off-ball, screens for De’Aaron Fox, and won’t step on Wemby’s toes offensively. He’s the kind of veteran a great young team actually needs.
The numbers work: Keldon Johnson ($17.5M) + Olynyk ($13.4M) get to $30.9M outgoing, close to Gordon’s $32M. Johnson had a solid Sixth Man of the Year campaign with 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 51.9% from the field, 36.3% from three, and fits next to Jokic as a forward who can space and rebound. Olynyk is basically roster filler, but he can pass and shoot, which matters in second-unit minutes in a Jokic offense. A 2029 first-rounder finishes it off.
The Spurs don’t have to touch Wembanyama, Fox, Harper, Castle, or Vassell. For a team in their position, that’s an incredibly clean way to add a proven playoff forward. A closing lineup of Fox, Vassell, Gordon, Wembanyama, and one of Castle or Harper is genuinely scary. Big everywhere, multiple creators, and a real defensive identity would make the Spurs title challengers again.
1. Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics Receive: Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Julian Strawther, 2031 first-round pick
Denver Nuggets Receive: Jaylen Brown
This is the one. Not a Gordon trade only, but a Jaylen Brown trade that happens to center on Gordon. Brown had a monster 2025-26: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, another All-Star nod, All-NBA level production while basically carrying Boston through Tatum’s injury. If the Celtics move him, the return has to be significant.
Gordon ($32M) and Cameron Johnson ($23.1M) get close enough to Brown’s $57.1M to make the math work. More importantly, it changes Boston’s entire roster shape: Gordon gives them a physical forward who can cover tough wing matchups, Johnson brings elite three-point shooting (43.0% last season) to play next to a returning Tatum, Julian Strawther is a young wing with upside, and the pick is a real asset. It’s depth, balance, and shooting.
For Denver, this is why you’d consider moving Gordon at all. Not to save money. Not to clear a roster spot. But to get a genuine wing star who gives Jokic another weapon. Jamal Murray is great, but Brown adds size, downhill creation, transition pressure, and a second late-clock option. The Nuggets don’t need more smart role players; they need someone who bends a defense on their own.
This is the trade that makes sense for both sides if the Nuggets are actually thinking big. Gordon isn’t the headline. He’s the key that unlocks the whole thing.
