In the first deal leading up to the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline, the Orlando Magic have dealt starting small forward Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons.
In a stunning move to kick off the new trade season, the Orlando Magic have traded Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for backup point guard Brandon Jennings and stretch-4 Ersan Ilyasova, as first reported by ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
Michael Scotto of the Associated Press originally reported that the two teams were discussing terms, while Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears reported the teams were finalizing terms.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, no picks — or at least, no first round picks — are being included in the trade at this point in time.
A few weeks ago, ESPN reported that the Magic were looking to add a veteran touch to their young team, and it soon surfaced that Orlando had even floated the idea of trading Victor Oladipo or Tobias Harris to provide locker room leadership for a team that’s been eager to make it back to the playoffs for years now.
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But not many could have predicted a lopsided deal like this. At 23 years old, Harris was re-signed to a four-year, $64 million deal over the summer after averaging 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on .466/.364/.788 shooting splits during the 2014-15 season.
This year, Harris’ numbers are down to 13.7 points per game on .464/.311/.784 shooting splits, but he’s also pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game and is taking three fewer shots per game. Harris has a ton of potential, he’s a solid scorer when given enough responsibility and though his defense still needs some work, his knack for making big-time shots became apparent last year.
However, it appears that new head coach Scott Skiles is not a fan of Harris’ work, since this marks the second time a Skiles-coached team has moved the young swingman for less than his full value.
Scott Skiles’ comfort level with both Jennings/Ilyasova (coached them in MIL) was a factor, but potential cap flexibility also big for ORL.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 16, 2016
Brandon Jennings has only played in 23 games this season following his recovery process from an Achilles injury last season. Jennings is averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 37.3 percent from the field, but the Magic will likely just let him go when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ersan Ilyasova is a useful stretch-4 who was projected to be a fixture in Stan Van Gundy’s spread offense in Detroit, and had averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists per game this season. He’s shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range, but his $8.4 million salary for the 2016-17 season is non-guaranteed.
For Detroit, this is quite the steal. Harris is signed to long-term money and will help on the wing alongside Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Andre Drummond is heading for a massive payday this summer, Reggie Jackson is playing like an All-Star while being locked in through the 2019-20 season and in just a few years at the helm, SVG has made the Pistons’ future that much brighter.
With the acquisition of a scorer like Harris, the Pistons are all in on a playoff spot this season, which is the first thing Harris told ESPN upon hearing the news that he’d been traded.
For the Magic, this puzzling deal is all about freeing up more cap space for the upcoming free agency bonanza that will take place this summer as the NBA’s salary cap skyrockets to a projected $89 million.
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Still, one can’t help but think Orlando could have gotten a lot more for Harris to aid their youth movement, or that they should have just kept him and let the young players jell despite their 4-16 start to 2016. Unless the Magic have a series of moves charted out or can capitalize in free agency, this is a risky endeavor that could leave them empty-handed for Harris.