4-on-4: Examining the Detroit Pistons’ trade for Tobias Harris

4. It’s hard to say who “won” or “lost” a trade before any games are played, but is this a case of one team winning the deal or can it be the type of trade that ends up helping both sides?

Shackelford: The Pistons got the best player in the deal and the players they parted didn’t have a long-term place on the team. Therefore, the Pistons got the better deal. That said I’m not sure Orlando’s goal here was to get better. Orlando’s goal–I’m assuming–was to clear cap space, so if this move sets up another move for them in the future it will be worth it. This move also gives Orlando an opportunity to give extra minutes to Aaron Gordon and or Mario Hezonja. Giving minutes to young talented players when your team isn’t in position to compete is always the best way to go. For that matter, if Jennings can return to his pre-injury self, this trade looks even better for the Magic (assuming they try to retain him).

Thielke: There’s a little potential for both teams to win. It’s unlikely because the two teams aren’t that incredibly different. Both could certainly use more shooting, but really just need a serious talent upgrade. Both teams have playoff aspirations for this season, but no real shot at making any postseason noise. While just getting in would be nice, future years are more relevant. Both were in line to have significant cap space this coming summer but were long shots to be major players in free agency. All of that would point toward the idea of the trade being pretty close to zero-sum. But the Magic did have a glut of young forwards ready to take on more minutes, making Harris less valuable to them than to the Pistons. Also, they are significantly further out of the playoff race, making an incremental improvement for the rest of the season less valuable. And they have nicer climate, making cap space to work with in free agency a bit more valuable for the Magic. Those factors could theoretically push the trade into a win-win, but I think it’s a long shot.

Smith: I think if there could be only one winner, it would be the Pistons, but the Magic got value out of this as well. They trim $16 million off the books next year as Jennings’ $8 million expires and Ilyasova’s 2016-17 salary is only guaranteed for $400,000, meaning he can be let go at very little cost for the Magic after the season is over. The biggest difference between the winner and the loser in this deal is the fact that the Pistons didn’t have to include a draft pick in this deal. The margins would be closer if the Magic could have squeezed a pick out of the Pistons.

Rossman-Reich: It is really hard to tell. Looking at what the Magic are doing with this deal and the potential Channing Frye deal, it looks like the Magic are trying to clear cap room. So essentially the Magic traded Harris for the cap room to do . . . something. So what happens on the floor for the rest of the season feels only quasi-relevant. Yes, the Magic still want to win games and want to make the playoffs and catch the Pistons, but it also seems the team is looking to make a bigger splash in the summer. So the success or failure of this trade depends on where the Magic go from here in the offseason with the room they have created.

Next: The Pistons graded by Zach Lowe for Tobias Harris trade

Thanks again to Philip Rossman-Reich for his participation in our 4-on-4. Follow him on Twitter at @OMagicDaily and read his work at Orlando Magic Daily.