It's no secret that the 2019-20 NBA season hasn't been what the Orlando Magic were hoping for, but that doesn't mean they should be looking to trade their high-profile players, specifically Aaron Gordon.

Orlando reportedly shopped Gordon before the NBA trade deadline. According to Heavy's Sean Deveney, they're expected to continue doing so this offseason.

Trading Aaron Gordon would be a mistake.

The Magic made the playoffs last season. Orlando being 24-31 at the All-Star break is disappointing. When a team makes the playoffs for the first time in a while, the expectation is that they'll build off that playoff appearance the ensuing season.

The Magic have been stagnant this season. They have the talent to be better than their record. The only reason many aren't pessimistic on a daily basis about them is that they hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, which is merely them benefiting from a top-heavy conference.

If Orlando is going to get on a roll, they need their familiar faces to answer the call. Gordon is capable of doing as such.

He has spent the entirety of his six-year NBA career with the Magic, has gradually improved over his career, and is an integral part of head coach Steve Clifford's rotation.

Aaron Gordon is a multi-faceted player, best-known for his athleticism. Whether it be cutting inside, going coast-to-coast, finishing off absurd alley-oops, or attacking the rack, Gordon is a runaway freight train attacking the basket. He's one of the league's most electric dunkers. This athleticism is also utilized on the defensive end, as Gordon emphatically rejects shots and chases down ball handlers.

While the 14.2 points per game he's putting forth this season are behind his averages from the two seasons prior, Gordon is adept at scoring in multiple ways. He gets inside off the dribble, can shoot off the dribble, and is difficult to slow down; he's a nifty scorer.

In the second year of a four-year, $80 million deal, Gordon's production makes his contract affordable. Yes, an average annual salary of $20 million is a lot, but given the frequency that $15-20 million contracts are handed out nowadays, as well as his importance to Orlando's rotation, Gordon's contract is fair for both parties.

He's exciting, athletic, a reliable scorer, and on a reasonable contract. You don't just trade away someone with those factors working in their favor. By the way, he's still just 24.

Gordon is part of Orlando's identity. Alongside Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, and DJ Augustin, Gordon is part of a roster whose core has been in place for several seasons. For better or worse, this is their foundation.

Plus, most of their roster complements itself. Gordon runs the floor while Fournier and Ross stretch the floor with their outside shooting, which allows Vucevic to clog up the paint and gives point guard Markelle Fultz multiple options. Ultimately, they just haven't produced at a considerable level or been consistent offensively.

On the other hand, they're an elite defensive unit. Whether it be suffocating ball handlers, playing sound team defense, or simply limiting opponents' offensive outputs, the Magic exhibit excellence on that end of the floor. In fact, they're first in the NBA in opponent points per game (105.4) and seventh in defensive net rating (107.4).

Let's say the Magic get back a first-round pick and a player on a rookie deal who they envision being a consistent rotation player for Gordon: what does it do for them? They're downgrading in the short term, running the risk of a player struggling to fit into their system, and they'd be losing an integral source of offense.

Meanwhile, the Magic have close to no payroll flexibility. If they hypothetically relieved themselves of Gordon's salary in a trade, they'd still be on the hook for roughly $99 million next season, which is slightly below the $109.14 million NBA salary cap. Case in point: they can't just sign a Gordon replacement.

Plus, if the Magic are going to trade Gordon, wouldn't they want to embark on a fire sale? There's plenty of players Orlando could command a first rounder or a couple compelling young players for such as Vucevic, Fournier, and Ross. It wouldn't make sense to trade just Gordon.

It's not as if the Magic have continually hit a wall in the playoffs; they've made it to the spring festivities, as a whole, once. If they were coming off their fourth or even third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and there were minimal, if any improvements they could justify making major changes; the Magic aren't in that situation.

You can't abandon ship on your core when it's finally playing meaningful games in the second half of the season. There's still time to right the ship on this season, and they have the potential to rise up the conference next season.

The Magic are trying to run through a wall. Trading Aaron Gordon only makes that task more daunting.