University of Tennessee Athletics
VFL Harris Traded to Detroit Pistons
February 16, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2016
Detroit Pistons Official Press Release
Former Tennessee basketball standout Tobias Harris (2010-11), was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
Orlando receives Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova in return for Harris.
Harris, a first-round NBA Draft pick in 2011, had previously signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Magic in July.
The 23-year-old Harris enjoyed an excellent 2014-15 campaign in which he averaged a career-best 17.1 points per game, ranking among the league's top 30 scorers. Harris also added 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game while shooting .466 from the field, .364 from 3-point range and .788 from the free-throw line.
This season, Harris has split minutes between the small forward and power forward positions. He has posted 10 double-doubles in 49 games for the Magic during his sixth year as a pro.
A freshman All-American at Tennessee, Harris also was named second-team All-SEC and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team during his lone season on Rocky Top. He played 34 games as a Vol, averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
The Charlotte Bobcats selected Harris with the 19th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, but traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. After two and a half seasons with the Bucks, Harris was traded to the Magic on Feb. 21, 2013. He saw a significant boost in minutes in Orlando, and in turn, his scoring increased as well. He averaged 15.6 points per game across his four seasons with the Magic.
A strong presence in the community as well, Harris is a two-time winner of the Magic's Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award. In addition, he was one of five finalists for the NBA's 2015 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, which recognizes the NBA player, coach or trainer who has exhibited "outstanding service and dedication to the community over the previous year."
Harris will become the sixth Vol to play for the Pistons' franchise and the first since Allan Houston played for Detroit from 1994-96.
OFFICIAL: #Pistons have acquired Tobias Harris in exchange for Brandon Jennings & Ersan Ilyasova.
Welcome Tobias! pic.twitter.com/G2O429iByp-- Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 16, 2016
