Aaron Gordon hasn't looked like the Aaron Gordon Denver Nuggets fans know and love to start the 2026-27 season. His lack of explosiveness and motor has led to questions about whether he's truly healthy and whether he's playing it safe with his left calf. Well, on Tuesday, he answered that question.
Aaron Gordon: “Physically, I feel good. So I’m less worried about my body out there and now more worried about the wins. … I did a lot of recovery (this offseason) and a lot of lifting, a lot of running, so I can be there come May and June. But we need to pick it up now.”
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) November 10, 2026
While it should be encouraging to hear him say he feels good physically, especially after the injuries he and the Nuggets have dealt with over the past couple of years, it's far more discouraging than it should be.
If he feels good and isn't worried about his body, is this the version of Gordon the Nuggets will have going forward? If so, should the Nuggets consider trading him for a more reliable third option behind Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić?
While that's a question worth wondering amid Denver's 5-4 start to a season where its four losses came against teams ranked eighth or higher in the West, it's too early to try to remove Gordon from the equation. It's only November, but if he stays at the level he's on, perhaps then the Nuggets will have to consider making the tough decision of ending the AG era.
But don't try to trade Aaron Gordon just yet
Gordon is averaging 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 29.3 minutes per game, shooting 39.5% from the field and 27.8 % from three. Compare that to the 19.8 points on 53.7% shooting from the field and 46.7% from three in his first nine games of the 2025-26 season. He looks like a completely different player than he did this time last year.
He dropped 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in the Nuggets' season-opening loss to the Thunder, and then over the next five games, averaged only 9.8 points per game. Gordon is coming off his worst game of the season, finishing with three points on 1-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes in the loss to the Rockets.
Gordon has been moving slowly and not playing with the athleticism and force that have defined his time in Denver and made him one of the league's most important role players. That's concerning, but the Nuggets' overreliance on him (exacerbated by their lack of scoring) has put an even harsher spotlight on his struggles than they would on any other 31-year-old who isn't a star.
But considering that we're not even 10 games into the season, you can't say he's washed or that what we're seeing from AG now is all the Nuggets will get from him from here on out. It would be irrational for Denver to make him available for trade less than a month into the season. Teams aren't looking to make those kinds of moves right now, anyway.
The Nuggets decided to run it back over the offseason, not floating players like AG in trade talks, and they're not going to throw in the towel on the forward and look for an upgrade in November. It doesn't work that way. Give him a little more time before you write him off.
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