The Hornets have made their first move to add veteran talent to their lineup in the 2012 offseason with the planned acquisition of Magio forward Ryan Anderson.

After appearing to be headed toward the losing side of the NBA's early free agency period this summer, the New Orleans Hornets are set to make their first big move via trade.

The Orlando Sentinel first reported that the Hornets and Orlando Magic reached agreement on a sign-and-trade deal that will send forward Ryan Anderson to New Orleans.

The deal will send Mexico international big man Gustavo Ayon from the Hornets to the Magic, reports ESPN.

The trade will be official on Wednesday, the first day new NBA contracts can be signed for the 2012-13 season.

Anderson, a restricted free agent, negotiated with New Orleans about signing an offer sheet but evolved into a sign-and-trade when Orlando apparently balked at matching a reported 4-year, $36 million contract from the Hornets.

A 6-foot-10 forward in his fifth season out of Cal, Anderson started 61 games for Orlando last season, averaging 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds to earn the NBA's Most Improved Player honor. More of a finesse player who can play all three frontcourt positions, Anderson knocked down over 39 percent of his three-point tries in 2012-13.

The versatility of Anderson, 24, will mesh well in New Orleans with the arrival of top overall pick Anthony Davis, who will see time at both power forward and center.

Ayon, also 6-foot-10, moved over to the Hornets for his first NBA season from the Spanish League last year and 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game. The 27-year old has two more years on his current contract with both as team options at $1.5 million per season.

Meanwhile, there have been no indications of any changes to the Hornets' intentions to match the four-year offer, $58 million from the Phoenix Suns for restricted free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon.

Orlando also has a disgruntled veteran star on their hands this summer with rumors swirling about the future of All-NBA center Dwight Howard in the Magic Kingdom. The Anderson trade provides Orlando more salary cap space moving forward either with or without Howard.

Trahan: Anderson trade a solid Hornets move