National Reaction To Pistons' Trade For Tobias Harris
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
The Pistons weren't making much pre-trade deadline noise, until all of a sudden they did. The team traded away forward Ersan Ilyasova and point guard Brandon Jennings in return for forward Tobias Harris from Orlando. Detroit will take on Harris' 4-year, $64 million contract (which he signed last year).
On a national scale, the move was largely heralded as one that allowed the Pistons to continue building a young core with players who can switch positions. The move freed the Magic to clear some salary cap space on the other end.
With 23-year-old Harris joining the roster, Detroit now has several key, young players - franchise player Andre Drummond (22 years old), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (22), Reggie Jackson (25) and rookie Stanley Johnson (19). That youth and potential were recognized by several national NBA pundits.
In Yahoo's analysis of the trade, Bobby Marks also wrote that Harris "adds value to Detroit's young core," while also bringing down the cap space the Pistons will have in the offseason.
"Twenty-three years old – he fits the age curve of our core group of guys that we're building with and possesses a versatility to his game," Pistons general manager Jeff Bower said on a conference call after the trade was made official Wednesday. "That flexibility is something that can be very beneficial in today's game."
A significant praise point for Detroit was Harris' versatility. He's capable of switching among several positions, and will fit in well with a Pistons roster that prides itself on that quality.
A couple of the Pistons themselves also took to social media to welcome their new teammate.
Lowe, who used to work for the popular ESPN vertical site, Grantland, wrote a longform piece on Harris back in the summer, examining how people view the forward - is he just a good player on a bad team (the Magic), or does he have the potential for more? It's a deep dive into how Harris' type of player is evaluated, and what he could bring to a team moving forward.
