One of the major deals that materialized recently is the one involving Tobias Harris, Brandon Jennings, and Erlan Ilyasova.
The Detroit Pistons landed one of head coach Stan Van Gundy's coveted players, considering another critical building block for the ball club. Gone are Brandon Jennings and Erlan Ilyasova who will try to whip up the youngsters over in Orlando.
Harris was not aggressively up for trade, but the Magic were listening to offers. The 23-year-old forward has been struggling thus far, but all that could change with a change in scenery.
Van Gundy does make it clear, though, that Harris will still need to learn the ropes. He will be inserted incrementally until he shows that he has gotten into the groove of things.
On the other end, Jennings and Ilyasova reunite with head coach Scott Skiles. All three were together with the Milwaukee Bucks before and hopefully, the three can get some things done together with the young group.
Jennings was widely believed to be on the trading block, although the Pistons initially denied it. Before the deal with the Magic came, there were teams like the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks interested in the guard.
It will be interesting to see if Jennings can recall his form, especially since he is coming from an Achilles injury. He hasn't played his usual game as of yet, but such is understandable.
With the Reggie Jackson taking his spot, such spurred rumors of Jennings likely to be traded. Many hesitated, opting to see how Jennings would play coming from injury, but Harris was simply a piece that the Pistons had long coveted.
Ilyasova is likely to help out the young guys like Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon who are likely to get more playing minutes with the departure of Harris.
Both teams are in sight of the playoffs; hopefully, the swap can turn out for the best for Detroit and Orlando. The Pistons are currently toting a 27–27 card while the Magic are in 11th with a 23–29 record.
