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After spending his first seven seasons with the Orlando Magic, Aaron Gordon is getting a fresh start.
The former Arizona Wildcats forward was acquired by the Denver Nuggets before Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Denver will send Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, Gary Clark and a first-round pick to Orlando.
Orlando is including Gary Clark in the deal too, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Gordon, 25, will be a key player for a Nuggets team that is 26-18 (good for fifth in the West) but needs help defensively, ranking 19th in the NBA in defensive rating.
In 25 games this season, the former No. 4 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.6 steals per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3 (a career high) and 62.9 percent from the free throw line.
Gordon, who recently returned from a severe ankle sprain, only had one winning season and one playoff appearance in Orlando, so a move to Denver will allow him to play in more meaningful games. The Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals last season.
Gordon is in the third year of a four-year, $76 million contract.
Also in the Nuggets frontcourt is former UA forward Zeke Nnaji, who they drafted in the first round in November. The rookie has appeared in 29 games, averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.