After a 24-point, 8-rebound performance leading the West to a 110–99 victory, Gordon was named the game's MVP. At Arizona, on February 13, 2014, Gordon was named one of the 30 finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year. He was named to the All-Pac-12 first team, as well as earning Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year and Pac-12 All-Freshman team honors. On April 15, 2014, Gordon declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. On June 26, 2014, Gordon was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. On July 2, he signed with the Magic and joined them for the 2014 NBA Summer League. After appearing in the first 11 games of the 2014–15 season, Gordon was ruled out indefinitely on November 16 after he fractured a bone in his left foot in the Magic's loss to the Washington Wizards the night before. He returned to action on January 18, 2015 against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing 32 games. On April 4, he recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in a 97–90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In July 2015, Gordon re-joined the Magic for the 2015 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 21.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks in three games. On November 4, 2015, he scored a career-high 19 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets. On January 31, 2016, he tied his career high of 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 119–114 win over the Boston Celtics. He went on to record 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds the following night against the San Antonio Spurs. During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Gordon was the runner-up to Zach LaVine in the Slam Dunk Contest. Their battle through two tie-breakers in the final round drew comparisons to the showdown between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988. Gordon utilised Stuff the Magic Dragon, his team's 6½-ft tall mascot, in his dunks; his final dunk involved him jumping over Stuff while passing the ball under both legs. On February 25, he had another 19-point outing in a 130–114 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Three days later, he set a new career high with 22 points in a 130–116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.