Orlando Magic Rumors: Boston Celtics turned down Tobias Harris offer
The Orlando Magic reportedly offered Tobias Harris to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline, but were rebuffed, showing the Magic actively shopped him.
One of the more controversial decisions of the season — and certainly the one that shapes how the Orlando Magic will move forward this summer — was the deal that sent Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.
There was plenty of criticism of the deal. Why did the Magic not get more for him? Surely Harris was worth an impact player of some sort that could help the Magic make the Playoff push or complete their rebuild. Harris had all the tools — a young player with scoring punch — to be the centerpiece for a home-run trade.
That was not how things shook out. The Magic brought in two expiring contracts and signaled their desire to play for free agency this summer, essentially canceling out Harris’ contract for 2016 and taking in the $20-plus million windfall that is expected for each team.
This was not all for lack of trying. The Magic appeared to have been just as aggressive at the trade deadline to find a major deal that would help put their team over the top and get them back into the Playoff race, all the while keeping some kind of flexibility.
A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSN New England reports the Magic and the Celtics discussed a trade involving Tobias Harris. But when the Magic insisted the Celtics include Jae Crowder, the Celtics balked and the deal broke down.
It was less about what the Magic were potentially offering and more about Crowder, whom the Celtics have viewed as critical to their defense. Crowder is on an affordable deal and so teams looking for a bargain have continually sniffed out to try to get him.
It is a symbol though that the Magic were exploring several options for Harris before ultimately deciding to trade him to clear cap space. Perhaps that is a signal the Magic were determined to trade Harris.
Orlando was very active at the trade deadline and may have laid some seeds for the summer as they look to get aggressive in improving the roster.
Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reported too the Magic had preliminary discussions with the Bulls, although he does not cite any specific players involved. Citing a source, he said generally the Bulls had preliminary discussions about deals involving Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose in addition to free-agent-to-be Pau Gasol.
Chicago too ran into the Jae Crowder hurdle with the Celtics in discussing potential deals with them.
It is unclear whether the Bulls will re-open these negotiations and continue these conversations once trading season opens again. They too are trying to assess their season and how best to move forward.
The Magic clearly will not have Harris to offer anymore.
They opted to make that deal with the Pistons for better or for worse. Their determination to trade him was likely a product of his play dropping off — he averaged only 13.7 points per game and saw his usage dip to less than 20 percent. The Magic were simply not using him.
He broke out some with the Pistons, seeing his shooting track back up with the added attention Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond take away and his usage pushed back up. Of course his production would increase.
In Detroit’s Game One loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harris had nine points and 10 rebounds, making just four of his 11 shots. It was not the Playoff debut Harris likely wanted.
Next: On the Playoff Trail: Maurice Harkless
Whether or not the Magic end up regretting this deal will likely come down to how they spend their free agency in the coming months. It is clear though they were active trying to find the best deal for him and felt like parting ways with Harris was in the team’s long-term best interests with how things broke down this year.