Orlando Magic forward Ryan Anderson, capitalizing on his best season as a pro where he put up 16.1 points and grabbed 7.7 rebounds during the 2011-2012 season, was prepared to sign an offer sheet with the New Orleans Hornets this summer.
But new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan instead brokered a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets, and as a result, Anderson will be suiting up for his third NBA team next season.
According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, the 24-year-old Anderson was shocked, excited and also nervous about moving on from the place he's called home for the past three years:
"In Orlando, there's so many amazing things and so many amazing people that I got to know," Anderson told the Orlando Sentinel. "It was such a blessing to be there. But it's a business, and I'm incredibly excited to be a part of an organization that's rebuilding and that's building up, and that could be really good.
"It's all kind of still new to me. I'm still sort of trying to take everything in, but I feel blessed. But I also feel a bit of a 'what just happened?' kind of a thing."
Included in the deal for Anderson was Hornets center Gustavo Ayon who appeared in 54 games this season while starting 24 of them. Ayon averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds during the 2011-2012 season.
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