Orlando Magic: Salvaging The Tobias Harris Trade

The Orlando Magic need to do all they can this summer to try and erase the memory of the horrible Tobias Harris trade.

There’s no doubt that the trading of Tobias Harris was one of the defining moments of the Orlando Magic‘s season. More than that, it was puzzling at the time because of how Harris had continued to improve as a player. Worst of all though, what the Magic got in exchange from the Detroit Pistons — Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova — was underwhelming.

If the team could do it over, would they still make the trade? You’d have to think no, Harris averaged 16.6 points and 2.6 assists per game (a career high) for the remainder of the regular season once in Detroit blue. On top of that, he’d only signed a four-year deal with the team the summer beforehand, and looked like a key piece of their future.

Even now the move oozes with that unmistakable panic trade odour, but unfortunately there are no do-overs in the NBA. With that in mind then, does it make sense for the Magic to use this summer’s first round draft pick on another wing, to try and replace Harris on this team?

Straight away there are a couple of problems with this thinking, and really Orlando is stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Barring some lucky break, the Magic should draft 11th on the night. First round picks are always valuable, but this incoming draft class doesn’t look as deep as last year’s, at least on the surface anyway.

So while another young player is nice, the chances of a player who can contribute right away falling that far are low, although not impossible. If you’re the Magic though, and you want to get back to the playoffs next season, is another player who will be more of a project his first year or two in the league really what you’re looking for?

No, but unfortunately Orlando isn’t exactly looking like a top destination for free agents this summer either. So if the Magic went with somebody like Jaylen Brown out of California (assuming he is still available) would that really be the answer here? Brown has a ton of potential, but doesn’t every young player on their roster already?

Yet I still feel going for a forward/wing player is the thing to do here. They’re only becoming more important in today’s NBA, and because of this the Harris trade is something that I’ll never truly understand. There are other young players on the team who, in theory, were more easily replaceable, such as Elfrid Payton.

Before leaving, Harris was as good as he’d ever been offensively, creating shots for himself and looking far more comfortable putting the ball on the floor. Defensively there was still work to do, but he had the frame and the mentality to make a difference on that end.

Keeping tabs on guys like LeBron James and Kevin Durant night after night is not easy, but who on their roster now is capable of doing that? Aaron Gordon also has the body and the ability, but like so many others it comes with the caveat of it mostly being just potential right now.

Harris had potential, and he was beginning to fulfill it. The team wanted to move into a position where they could win more games now, but they seem to have moved the wrong player in trying to fulfil that ambition. Besides, with a pick like the one they’ll have, what else are they going to do with it?

If it could be traded for a veteran wing that would be ideal, but there’s a reason guys like Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are so highly thought of. A first round pick alone isn’t going to get you the kind of player the Magic need at that position to become relevant again. They’d likely have to add in another young player.

At that point, the process begins to crumble, with bit part players (Ilyasova) and players who themselves showed promise at one time (Jennings) replacing the young guys on long-term, team friendly contracts. That’s no way to build a contender; You do so through the draft, but also by making smarter trades.

The Magic appear to be caught caught up trying to do everything at once, and in doing so they let Harris get away. Using their pick on another guard or center doesn’t make any sense, particularly with two more second round picks to use as well this summer.

Those positions seem more stable, whether it’s through talent or sheer depth and an ability to trade away some players for better ones if needed. That wing spot though, well it’s looking harder to find a guy who can come in and do as Harris did. Drafting another is the best way to salvage what was an avoidable situation.

It’s still unclear if Tobias Harris will ever truly come back to haunt the Magic, but there’s no doubt that letting him go was a poor move at a bad time. It’s easy to forget because Orlando’s season fell apart at the turn of the year, but before Harris was traded, they were still in the hunt for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Now they find themselves back in the draft, and they’ll likely have to replace the one player they were under no pressure to give up. Oh, and they’ll likely be doing this with their lowest first round pick since Dwight Howard left the team. Talk about unnecessary pressure. Harris needs to be replaced though, and soon.