Trade Grades
Click here for link to Detroit Pistons Trade Grades
Pistons get: PF/SF Tobias Harris
Magic get: PG Brandon Jennings, PF/SF Ersan Ilyasova
At 23-29 and 11th in the East, Orlando was clearly tired of the draft lottery and wanted to change things up. But was this a good change? The Magic have a very talented young core, of which the 23-year-old Harris was a featured member of, but the forward has only put up 13.7 points per game, compared to 17 per game last season, albeit steady in all other statistics. Thus management was concerned by the plateau, and felt the need to sell Harris even at the expense of breaking up the core. Questionable? Perhaps, but not entirely unreasonable.
Either way, the Magic got a decent haul in return. Ilyasova figures to be Harris' replacement in the rotation, and a solid one at that. Hitting 1.5 threes per game, Illy provides spacing for a team that has very little, and his rebounding ability is probably equal to that of Harris'. Athleticism and defense are the only areas where Orlando loses in the swap of forwards.
Jennings is a major question-mark after struggling mightily this season from his return from ACL surgery, and it also remains to be seen how he will fit behind the guard duo of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. But the point guard has potential as a triple-threat guard with his excellent scoring, ball-handling, and (when he wants to) passing abilities. When healthy, Jennings can be the offensive playmaker this team needs, and there is zero financial risk attached to his expiring $8 million contract.
Grade: B+
Click here for link to Detroit Pistons Trade Grades
Pistons get: PF/SF Tobias Harris
Magic get: PG Brandon Jennings, PF/SF Ersan Ilyasova
At 23-29 and 11th in the East, Orlando was clearly tired of the draft lottery and wanted to change things up. But was this a good change? The Magic have a very talented young core, of which the 23-year-old Harris was a featured member of, but the forward has only put up 13.7 points per game, compared to 17 per game last season, albeit steady in all other statistics. Thus management was concerned by the plateau, and felt the need to sell Harris even at the expense of breaking up the core. Questionable? Perhaps, but not entirely unreasonable.
Either way, the Magic got a decent haul in return. Ilyasova figures to be Harris' replacement in the rotation, and a solid one at that. Hitting 1.5 threes per game, Illy provides spacing for a team that has very little, and his rebounding ability is probably equal to that of Harris'. Athleticism and defense are the only areas where Orlando loses in the swap of forwards.
Jennings is a major question-mark after struggling mightily this season from his return from ACL surgery, and it also remains to be seen how he will fit behind the guard duo of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. But the point guard has potential as a triple-threat guard with his excellent scoring, ball-handling, and (when he wants to) passing abilities. When healthy, Jennings can be the offensive playmaker this team needs, and there is zero financial risk attached to his expiring $8 million contract.
Grade: B+