As reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN and Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops, the Orlando Magic have agreed to send forward Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guard Brandon Jennings and forward Ersan Ilyasova.
Confusing Move for Orlando
As if giving away a talented forward like Harris wasn't confusing enough, it's what the Magic got back that is making this trade seem a little odd.
The Magic have a deep enough backcourt as it is with the likes of Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, and Evan Fournier already in the backcourt fighting for minutes. Now you can Brandon Jennings to the mix and you officially have a logjam in the backcourt.
The straight Harris for Ilyasova swap seems a little confusing as Harris offered a lot more than Ilyasova did. Although the latter is a better three-point shooter, Harris offered more to the team.
Steal for Detroit
Watch out Eastern Conference, the Pistons just got a whole lot scarier.
With the addition of Harris, the Pistons now have an array of athletic players that, if used correctly, can become a scary team down the road. After adding the likes of Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson this summer to help the backcourt become better, Stan Van Gundy will now have Harris and Andre Drummond in the frontcourt.
Look for SVG to use Harris in more of a stretch four role as Harris can also play on the wing and provide scoring from the outside. But his bread and butter is in the post, and together him and Drummond can become a scary 1-2 combo.
With an assortment of young talent on their roster (Harris only 23), the Pistons just became a tougher opponent for a lot of teams. However, they still have things to work on as Johnson must get better if he wants to play more, and the Pistons as a whole have to mature.
They are only half a game outside of the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference and now optimisim is sky high in Detroit.