Tobias Harris to Pistons: Twitter Reacts as Star Is Traded to Detroit
The Orlando Magic signed Tobias Harris to a four-year, $64 million deal prior to the 2015-16 season, but it turns out the 23-year-old isn't part of the franchise's long-term plans.
NBA.com's David Aldridge and Sheridan Hoops' Michael Scotto reported the Magic sent the versatile forward to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday for point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Ersan Ilyasova. According to ESPN.com's Zach Lowe, no first-round picks will be changing hands as part of the trade.
Harris is already looking forward to being a Piston, telling ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, "I'm ready to make the playoffs!"
On Feb. 8, ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported Orlando wasn't "outright shopping" the combo-forward but added "word is the Magic aren't discouraging offers for him either." Now, Harris is headed out of town just months after inking a team-friendly deal that was slated to keep him in Orlando through the 2018-19 season.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman believes this trade puts Detroit over the top in the Eastern Conference playoff race:
Conrad Burry praised the work of Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy:
Steve McPherson of Rolling Stone used the situation as an opportunity to draw attention to the striking facial similarities between Harris and Daily Show host Trevor Noah:
CBSSports.com's Chris Towers questioned why the Magic are making this move:
Hardwood Paroxysm's Chris Barnewall was a little more succinct:
Matt Moore, Towers' colleague at CBSSports.com, believes the team's handling of Harris has been somewhat quizzical of late:
For Vice Sports' Jack Moore, the trade highlights the general problem regarding Magic head coach Scott Skiles' handling of younger players:
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, so teams still have some time to complete whatever offers they have on the table.
One deal can cause a domino effect as other general managers react to the changing landscape in the league. While Harris isn't considered one of the NBA's premier players, his move to the Pistons could result in a small handful of additional trades ahead of the deadline.
