Aaron Gordon, who has yet to play in the playoffs due to a hamstring injury, has left the bubble because of that injury — and because of social justice concerns.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news.
Orlando's Aaron Gordon has left the NBA bubble due to his hamstring injury and events of past few days on campus, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2020
The Magic are down 3-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. They were the team left on the court when the Bucks decided to boycott on Wednesday.
Gordon played in the first four seeding games for the Magic, averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a game but suffered a hamstring injury while playing Toronto. He did not set foot on the court in the bubble after that.
Orlando looked to trade Gordon at the deadline and likely will dangle him again this offseason as the Magic look to revamp their roster and get younger. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game this season, is a strong defender defense, and is owed a reasonable $34.5 million total over the next two seasons. The Magic want to move on and normally there would be a healthy trade market for him. What kind of a market there will be for much of anyone in this economic climate remains to be seen.