Aaron Gordon will not hit unrestricted free agency next summer. That is because the Denver Nuggets’ forward has agreed to a contract extension with the franchise that acquired him ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline last season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Gordon and the Nuggets agreed to a four-year extension that will pay him $92 million and features a player option should he decide to test the free agent waters a year earlier than anticipated.
Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension with the franchise, his agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports told @TheAthletic @Stadium. Deal includes a player option for Gordon on the 2025-26 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 14, 2021
After spending the first six and a half years of his NBA career with the Orlando Magic, Gordon was traded to the Nuggets on deadline day for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and a first-round draft pick. The early returns on his acquisition made it seem like Denver was a legitimate championship contender, with Gordon filling a roll that fit perfectly next to Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Nikola Jokic.
This extension appears to be Denver betting that, upon Murray’s return from a torn ACL, a team built around that four-man group can and will compete for a championship. While Gordon’s numbers were not nearly as gaudy as they were when he was in Orlando — 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game — he legitimately looked like he was a missing piece for the Nuggets in their quest to win a ring. Now, assuming the franchise can agree to a new deal with Porter and Jokic signs a supermax extension next summer, the team’s core is going to be in place for the foreseeable future.
