Pistons deal Jennings, Ilyasova for Magic's Harris
The Detroit Pistons acquired Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic in exchange for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, it was announced Tuesday.
Both teams are currently out of playoff position and have been looking to get back in. With Harris, who is averaging 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds this season, the Pistons get a young power forward with shooting range, but the team will also take on the rest of the four-year, $64 million deal he signed last year.
The 23-year-old Harris is excited about the move.
“I’m ready to make the playoffs!” Harris said in a text message to ESPN.
Detroit (27-27) is currently half a game behind Charlotte in the competition for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons expect Harris to bolster their chances of reaching the postseason for the first time since 2009.
Detroit has been looking for an upgrade from Ilyasova at power forward and had talks with the New Orleans Pelicans about Ryan Anderson, sources said. Harris is much younger than both Ilyasova and Anderson, though his scoring has dropped about four points a game and his 3-point shooting has dipped to 31 percent.
The Magic, who had one of the youngest rosters in the league, get veterans to help with a run toward the playoffs, which first-year coach Scott Skiles has been pushing for in recent weeks. They are expected to have additional trade talks about adding more veteran players, sources told ESPN.
“Brandon and Ersan are two veterans that will help balance our roster and provide valuable experience to our team,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said in a statement. “Both players bring scoring, competitiveness and added depth to our roster. We want to thank Tobias for his contributions, both on and off the court.”
Both Ilyasova and Jennings played for Skiles when he was the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I’m happy to reconnect with (Coach) Skiles,” Jennings told ESPN on Tuesday.
Orlando had been looking for a point guard as Elfrid Payton works through his growing pains. Jennings, a starter for most of his career, should strengthen the Magic backcourt.
Jennings has played in 23 games since returning from a torn Achilles tendon. Seeing action as a backup, he is averaging a career-low 6.8 points and 3.0 assists in 18 minutes a game. He is in the final year of his contract, which pays him $8.3 million.
Ilyasova is averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 52 starts. His contract for next season is non-guaranteed at $8.4 million. If the Magic don’t keep him, this trade will have cleared more than $17 million from their books for next season.
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