DENVER – The Denver Nuggets have agreed a deal with the Orlando Magic that will send star forward Aaron Gordon to Denver in exchange for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a future first-round draft pick, according to reports.
The Denver Post and ESPN both reported Thursday morning that the teams had agreed a deal, citing league sources.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Denver would also receive Gary Clark in the trade.
Gordon is 25 years old and is in his seventh season with the Magic, where he has averaged 12.9 points, 2.5 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game over his career.
"@nuggets LETS GO DENVER BABY!!" Gordon tweeted.
This season, Gordon has started all 25 games in which he has played for Orlando and is averaging 14.6 points, 4.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 38% from three-point range this season, a career high.
Gordon is making $18.1 million this year with Orlando and has one year left on his contract after this season.
The 6-foot-8 forward is expected to bolster the Nuggets’ defense and he also adds another scorer to the team to run alongside Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton.
ESPN reported that Gordon requested a trade on Tuesday over frustration with the team. The former fourth-round pick has seen the Magic win 203 games and lose 322 over the course of his career. The team has made the playoffs twice over that span but been knocked out in the first round each series.
The Nuggets are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, with a 26-18 record, while the Magic sit in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference, with a 15-29 record.
Denver7 Sports Anchor Lionel Bienvenu says, “This is a huge deal for the Nuggets,” who need that fourth scoring option behind Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr.
The Denver Post also reported that the Nuggets were finalizing a trade to obtain Cleveland center JaVale McGee, who played from the Nuggets from 2012 to 2015, in exchange for Isaiah Hartenstein and two future second-round picks.
The deals come as the NBA trade deadline is set to hit at 1 p.m. MT.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
