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NETS TRADE CARTER TO MAGIC IN FIVE-PLAYER DEAL

Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - The Orlando Magic have acquired All-Star guard Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets in a five-player trade.

The Magic also received forward Ryan Anderson, and sent to the Nets guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston, and forward Tony Battie.

"Vince gives us a veteran, go-to scoring presence, especially at the end of games," Magic general manager Otis Smith said. "Our goal remains the same -- to win a championship. Any time you can add an All-Star to help you reach your goals, you have to do it. Vince has been a bona fide scorer in this league for 11 seasons and we are excited to add both him and Ryan (Anderson) to our team. We thank Rafer, Tony and Courtney for their efforts and wish them success in the future."

The deal will apparently allow the Nets to clear almost $18 million of cap space for the 2010-11 season and ships the 32-year-old North Carolina product back to his home state of Florida. Carter currently lives in Orlando.

Carter spent almost five years with the Nets, after coming over in a blockbuster deal from Toronto early in the 2004-05 season.

He averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 80 games last season for New Jersey, and has racked up 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game over 777 contests since beginning his NBA career with the Raptors in 1998.

Alston came to the Magic from Houston late last season and combined for 12.0 points and 5.1 assists in 77 games split between Orlando and the Rockets.

Battie finished his fourth season with Orlando with 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest in 77 games.

Lee, the Magic's 22nd-overall pick in 2008 out of Western Kentucky, completed his rookie season with 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 77 contests.

"The trade we made today provides our franchise with numerous options in the long-term development of our team," said Nets president Rod Thorn. "We believe that in Courtney Lee, we have acquired a young, dynamic player who will be a very good player in this league for a number of years. Rafer Alston has proven to be a quality player in this league for a number of years, and Tony Battie will provide a strong veteran presence off the bench."

Both Alston and Battie are in the final years of their contracts, and are set to make $5.25 million and $6.3 million, respectively. Carter is due to bring in $16.3 million for the upcoming season and $17.3 million for 2010-11.