A farewell to Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris had a weird season after signing his new contract this summer. He became the casualty of the business in Orlando, but was still tough to part.

Tuesday, Feb. 16 was a day that caught everyone by surprise.

The NBA All-Star Weekend was ending, and NBA players were still a day away from reporting back to their teams to restart their season. The NBA Trade Deadline loomed, but Thursday was still off in the distance.

Tobias Harris was already back in Orlando doing what he always does. The story went after he signed his new contract with the Magic in the summer — a four-year, $64-million — he was back in the gym working that evening preparing for this important season for him and his team.

When news of the Orlando Magic’s trade of Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova came down, he was speaking to a group of kids at an Orlando high school. He finished his appearance there — something he has picked up already in Detroit — said goodbye to teammates and made his way to Michigan to his new opportunity.

Harris had truly ingrained himself in the community. He had truly become a captain for the Magic and someone who set a hard-working example for his teammates. He was driven and determined, seemingly everything the Magic could want from a player.

It just did not work out. And so a little more than a month ago, the Magic parted ways with Harris.

“We thank Tobias for his service to our team on the floor and he did some incredible things in the community,” Rob Hennigan said during a press conference announcing the trade. “He is a wonderful human being. We thank him. It was not an easy decision. We believe in all of our young players. We just felt this was a necessary step for us to take to balance out the roster and add a little more experience and some complementary skill sets that we lacked right now. We added some scoring and some shooting and some competitive guys. We just felt Tobias was the guy to move to accomplish that.”

Harris arrived in Orlando a completely unproven player. The Magic were the ones that gave him his first opportunity in an environment that just let the young players run wild as the team stockpiled assets and young players. He began to flourish.

In the final 27 games after he arrived from the Milwaukee Bucks, Harris averaged 17.3 points per game. Playing time did wonders for him and his confidence grew. He quickly became a surprising part of this team’s core.

Harris kept up his production relatively strong despite fighting through a season-long high ankle sprain entering his extension year. He dipped to 14.1 points per game and the team struggled to take a tangible step forward in the second year of the rebuild. Harris though proved to be one of the Magic’s most consistent scoring options and at such a young age a good leader in the locker room with his work ethic and professional demeanor.

He seemed to regain his scoring touch as he prepared for an extension — his averages bumping back up to 17.1 points per game and his 3-point shooting rising greater than 35 percent.

When he signed that deal it seemed he would be an integral part of the team. In many ways he was. The Magic are just 6-12 since the trade. But it was also clear something did not fit for Harris and the Magic. His scoring was down with the Magic to 13.7 points per game and his usage rate was cratering to 18.9 percent, his lowest since arriving in Orlando.

For whatever reason, the Magic and Harris all of a sudden did not fit. And Harris was still doing a lot of good things within Scott Skiles‘ offense. He cut well, he rebounded well and did a lot of things that do not show up in a stat sheet.

What remained about Harris and his impact on the current team and roster was always his work. He taught his teammates how to work and put the hours in. That rubbed off on them and created a culture where player put the hours in — whether that equates to wins has been the big debate all season.

“TB was here my rookie year and he showed me how to work as a pro,” Aaron Gordon said the day after the trade. “He was always the first one here and usually the last one to leave. He was really diligent with his practice. It really shows me how to work at this level. It’s tough to see him go. But we know it’s a business. We’re still a team hear as an organization and we want to keep moving forward.”

It came down to business. The Magic needed to unlock some cap space to get better, they needed to free up playing time for Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon. Harris became the casualty.

But a difficult one to pass up and pass on.

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel caught up with Tobias Harris with the Magic having an off day in Detroit on Tuesday. Harris said he had no ill will toward Orlando and reiterated the opportunity he was given in Orlando and, frankly, the opportunity they gave him trading him to the Pistons.

Harris has seen his role blossom again. He is averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting a 53.5 percent effective field goal percentage in his 17 games in Detroit. His PER went from 15.2 with the Magic to 17.9 with the Pistons and his usage rate has returned to better than 20 percent, although it is still lower than his glory days with the Magic.

There is no ill will for the trade or the opportunity Harris now has to be in the Playoffs for the first time.

"“I’m not mad at Orlando for the trade,” Harris told Robbins. “Actually, if I was to sit here and be upset, that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? All they did was put me in an amazing situation. Truthfully, I thank them for that. I mean, I loved my time there, but business is business, and I think being here has been great for me.”"

The one thing that continually came up though as Magic players talked about as Harris departed was just how tough it was to lose a friend and lose someone who worked so hard on his individual game.

The same phrasings and the same sentiments continually came up as the Magic reflected on Harris’ time in Orlando. He was a meaningful part of the organization on and off the floor.

One they were going to and probably do miss.

Harris was undoubtedly a casualty of the business of basketball. There was only one basketball and the Magic had chosen to focus and give it to other players.

“It was tough,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said on the day of the trade. “I talked to Tobias right after we agreed to the trade. We had a great discussion. I thanked him for everything that he did both on and off the court. He was great for us as a player. He was great for us in the community. He and I had established a great personal relationship. He was very thankful. He understood it was part of the business. He was very thankful for everything the organization had done for him. He said that this will always remain a special place for him.”

There really is no ill will for the trade. It seemed like a necessary evil for both the Magic and for Harris for both to get better. Harris has reaped more immediate awards than the Magic have on that front.

The decision was not an easy one. Harris meant a lot to the organization and they truly believed in him when they signed him to that deal last summer. He was someone that represented the team well.

For whatever reason things did not fit on the basketball court. The Magic moved in another direction.

That does not devalue Harris and his time in Orlando though. He was someone that would always be difficult to part with.

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“It was tough for me,” Victor Oladipo said the day after the trade. “TB was not only here as a teammate but as a friend as well. I looked to him as a brother. It’s tough to see him go. . . . I believe he is going to a great situation and it’s going to be better for him. I am praying for him and wish the best for him. At the end of the day, it’s a business and Tobias understands that as well.”