Hornets to acquire Anderson from Magic
The New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic reached agreement on a sign-and-trade deal that will send Magic forward Ryan Anderson to New Orleans, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
In exchange for Anderson, the Magic will get Hornets center Gustavo Ayon. Meanwhile, the Hornets get Anderson, a good outside shooter and rebounder who will join incoming rookie Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.
The deal cannot be made official until Wednesday.
Anderson is a restricted free agent, and the Hornets were attempting to negotiate a deal Anderson.
When the Magic decided it did not want to match an offer to Anderson, it turned to negotiating a trade in which it would sign Anderson for the agreed-to amount, and trade him.
Anderson, 24, will sign a four-year deal worth between $34 million and $36 million, according to NBA.com.
He started 61 games for Orlando last season, averaging 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. He also shot 39.3 percent from 3-point range despite being a 6-10 forward.
Ayon played his first NBA season with New Orleans this past season after playing professionally in Spain.
He averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Hornets.
