The Denver Nuggets' 2021 trade for Aaron Gordon took a little over two years to pay off in the ultimate way — an NBA championship. He's only gotten better since then, too.
In the past year, Gordon made a massive leap as a three-point shooter. He shot a career-high 43.6% from deep on 3.4 attempts per game in 51 contests (42 starts). He shot 37.9% from three in the playoffs on 4.1 attempts per game. Of course, that includes his game-winning three-pointer in Game 1 of the 2025 semifinals against the Thunder.
Gordon has continued to find ways to make the Nuggets look even better for the 2021 trade (if that's even possible), with his shooting and playoff dominance being the two latest reasons. Who else can have a game-winning dunk and three in the same postseason series? No one, actually. Nobody else had ever even pulled off a buzzer-beater dunk in the NBA playoffs. Talk about clutch.
Nikola Jokic is typically the Nuggets player making history, but Gordon went on a historic run of his own last season.
Nuggets' 2021 trade for Aaron Gordon will go down in history
Denver traded Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and a 2025 protected first-round pick to Orlando for Gordon.
Hampton, who is 24, didn't play in an NBA game at all last season after going from the Magic (they waived him in 2023) to the Pistons to the Heat. Harris, who is a Nuggets legend in his own right, wasn't the player Orlando thought he'd be, but he was decent. He signed with Milwaukee this offseason after the Magic declined his team option.
The Magic selected Michigan State guard Jase Richardson with the No. 25 overall pick they received in the Gordon trade in the 2025 NBA Draft. He did well at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and that could carry over to his rookie season in Orlando, but the impact he'll make within that organization likely won't compare to what Gordon's done in Denver. That's a pick the Nuggets would give up a million times over for someone like AG.
The best part is that Denver isn't done reaping the benefits of the Gordon trade — not even close. The new front office duo revamped the roster this offseason, putting the Nuggets in a great position to win another NBA title.
When everything is said and done, AG could be a multi-time champion with the Denver Nuggets.