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On Thursday, the Orlando Magic emerged as the busiest team in the NBA ahead of the trade deadline, reportedly sending several veteran players packing, including All-Star Nikola Vucevic.
The Magic first traded Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks. Chicago is sending a top-four protected this year and another lightly-protected pick in 2023.
Then, the Magic sent veteran Evan Fournier to the Boston Celtics for two second-round picks.
To complete the flurry of moves, Orlando traded Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark to the Denver Nuggets for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a first-round pick. The trade of Gordon came after the seventh-year forward requested out of Orlando.
The trades come amid a season in which the Magic have posted a 15-29 record, the fourth-worst mark in the NBA. The team has dealt with several injuries to key players, including Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, that washed away a promising 6-2 start.
After plummeting to the bottom of the standings, the Magic are planning to build toward the future. While the trades may not have come as a surprise, the moves still left quite an impression on the players who remain on the roster, including rookie Cole Anthony.
Dang gone miss da guys🥺
— Cole Anthony (@The_ColeAnthony) March 25, 2021
Vucevic, Fournier and Gordon were the longest-tenured players on the Magic roster prior to Thursday, but that honor now goes to Terrence Ross, who had perhaps the tweet of the day following the trades executed by Orlando.
— Terrence Ross (@TerrenceRoss) March 25, 2021
Now that the Magic have made their plans known, the team will build around a core of Isaac, Fultz, Anthony, Hampton and Chuma Okeke. The group will also hope to hit on some upcoming draft picks as they will have two first-rounders this year after their deadline dealings.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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