The Orlando Magic have a pretty smart front office. They got a pretty good deal for Dwight Howard, drafted Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton, and snagged Tobias Harris for J.J. Redick. Still, it’s hard to see what GM Rob Hennigan is doing here, sending Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.
Source: Orlando trades Tobias Harris to Detroit for Brandon Jennings @ Ersan Ilyasova
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) February 16, 2016
On Tuesday, the rebuilding Magic traded the 23-year-old Harris for the expiring contracts of the 26-year-old Jennings and the 28-year-old Ilyasova. Harris, who is averaging 13.7 points and seven rebounds a game this season, is not only the youngest but also the best player in the deal, and reviews of the Magic’s end of the deal were pretty universally negative.
What an awful trade for Orlando if there are no picks involved. https://t.co/qgSXUTjCZC
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) February 16, 2016
Tobias Harris gave the Magic versatility and flexability, hadn't hit his ceiling, and was on a great deal. They fired too quickly…
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) February 16, 2016
Liked the move by Detroit to snare Tobias Harris for 2 expirings. He's a gamer. Weird move by Orlando unless a 2nd one is coming.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 16, 2016
Well at least they’re set to wildly overpay this summer for a low-level free agent for a contract they’ll regret https://t.co/DxLStD0kEp
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) February 16, 2016
That’s effectively what Orlando did: they traded Tobias Harris for a contract they’re going to give out this summer they’ll regret.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) February 16, 2016
There had been rumors that Orlando was looking to trade youngsters for veterans, with names like Jeff Teague floated as possible targets. But Jennings, an inefficient ball-stopper having the worst year of his career, is certainly no Teague. And though not everyone is super high on Harris, he’s clearly got a higher ceiling than the guys the Magic gave up and probably as good as and cheaper than whoever Orlando will pay to replace him this summer.
As for the Pistons, they gave up two expiring contracts for a promising youngster and now boast a nice core of Harris, Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Stanley Johnson.
Pistons building a team that can switch at least 2-3-4 on D for most of every game.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 16, 2016
Detroit sacrifices some cap space, but can look at Harris essentially as a free agency signing they lock in w/o bidding under higher cap.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 16, 2016
Jackson/KCP/Stanley/Harris/Drummond is … wow that’s a hell of a lineup.
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) February 16, 2016
The trade could have interesting playoff implications right away. Orlando, currently sitting 11th in the East, seems to be gearing up for the offseason and a playoff run in 2016-17, while Detroit looks like a serious contender for the final playoff spot in the conference. At the moment, the Pistons are 9th in the East, only a half game behind the Hornets.
Harris, for his part, appears happy to have improved a few games in the standings.
Regarding his looming trade to Detroit, Tobias Harris tells ESPN's Chris Broussard: "I'm ready to make the playoffs."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 16, 2016
