Magic trade All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic to Bulls in four-player swap

March 25 (UPI) -- The Orlando Magic traded All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and forward Al-Farouq Aminu to the Chicago Bulls for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round draft picks, it was announced Thursday.

The first-round selections headed to the Magic are for 2021 and 2023, according to ESPN.

"Anytime you trade a player like Nikola [Vucevic], it is a tough decision to make," Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. "'Vooch' will go down as one of the best players to ever wear a Magic uniform and we can't thank him enough for all the contributions he made to the organization, both on and off the court.

"Wendell [Carter Jr.] is a talented, young player, who is just starting to blossom. We are excited not only to add him to our team, but to watch him continue to develop into the player we think he can become. We're happy to welcome Wendell and Otto [Porter Jr.] to the Magic family."

Vucevic, 30, is averaging a career-best 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season while shooting 40.6% from 3-point range. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he is just one of four players in the NBA to average 21 points and 11 rebounds over the last three seasons, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The two-time All-Star selection has two years and $46 million remaining on his contract after this season.

Aminu is averaging 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds this season, his second with the Magic. He also has spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers during his 11-year career.

The 21-year-old Carter, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Duke, has averaged 10.9 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Bulls this season.

Porter, who is joining his third NBA team, has averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in the 2020-21 campaign.

Also Thursday, the Bulls acquired center Daniel Theis in a separate deal with the Boston Celtics. In that trade, Chicago sent Mo Wagner to the Celtics.