The Celtics reportedly have held discussions about Aaron Gordon with the Magic as the NBA's trade deadline fast approaches.
Gordon might not be the only Orlando forward Boston has interest in, however.
The Athletic's Shams Charania on Monday identified the Celtics as a potential suitor for Evan Fournier. Fournier, who has played seven of his nine NBA seasons to date in Orlando, is in the midst of the final year of his current contract.
The Magic should be listening to any and all offers for Gordon, Fournier and the majority of the other players on their roster. Orlando currently resides second-to-last in the Eastern Conference standings, and while the team's current core led the Magic to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, the roster clearly needs some major adjustments if it hopes to become a legitimate postseason threat.
But should the Celtics be aggressive in their pursuit of Fournier? Probably not. The 28-year-old is a fine talent who could prove Boston with some scoring, but it's tough to imagine the addition of Fournier would yield significant team improvements for the C's. An organization with more legitimate 2021 NBA Finals aspirations than Boston would make more sense, and Orlando probably would receive a better trade return from a team more motivated to bolster its roster ahead of the home stretch.
If Fournier's market proves to be relatively weak and the Magic are willing to eat up a good chunk of his salary, then the Celtics should ramp up their efforts to land the 6-foot-7 forward. If not, trading for Fournier likely would be nothing more than tacking on a high-priced rental player only to experience an early playoff exit.
