New mock trade has Sixers sending Tobias Harris to Jazz in a deal
It is now the dull part of the NBA offseason as teams begin their final preparations for training camp and the grind of the upcoming season. Therefore, now is still the time to look at some mock trades and have some fun analyzing and debating them.
At this point, the Philadelphia 76ers are probably done making any major moves. They added De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker, and Danuel House Jr. in the offseason and it appears that the Sixers are just about done as the roster they have constructed looks very strong on paper.
However, a new mock trade concocted by Bleacher Report has the Sixers sending Tobias Harris and his big contract to the Utah Jazz in a deal.
The fake trade proposal
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Bojan Bogdanovic and Patrick Beverley
Utah Jazz Receive: Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, a 2029 first-round pick, and second-round picks in 2023 and 2024
B/R on why the Sixers do this deal
On the Sixers’ side, this deal is mostly about keeping the talent exchange neutral while paying for cap space with draft picks. Bogdanovic and Beverley are both on expiring contracts, and bringing them aboard for Harris erases his whopping $39.3 million from the 2023-24 books. In that scenario, the 76ers could become major free-agent players next summer, and we know Daryl Morey never thinks his team has enough stars.
Bogdanovic and Harris bring many of the same skills to the forward spot, with the former owning the edge in career three-point percentage (39.2 to 36.7) and the latter being the better rebounder. Beverley and Thybulle are also somewhat similar as defense-first rotation pieces. Beverley isn’t the off-ball disruptor Thybulle is, but the young wing’s nonexistent shooting makes him much harder to play in the postseason than Beverley, who has to be honored beyond the arc.
Analyzing the deal from a Sixers standpoint
Bogdanovic averaged 18.1 points and shot 38.7% from deep and would be an excellent fit on the offensive end for the Sixers. However, he is not the defender Harris is, and that would hurt Philadelphia on that end. The Sixers need a two-way player to complement their stars and Bogdanovic does not do that at the moment.
As much of an albatross Harris’s contract has become, it is better to keep him at this point due to his ability to play both ends of the floor and his professionalism.
As far as Beverley goes, he shot 34.3% from deep in the 2021-22 season for the Minnesota Timberwolves and he shoots 37.8% for his career. That would be a win-now addition over Thybulle who still has yet to really figure it out on the offensive end of the floor.
More Sixers news and notes
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Will the Sixers trade Tobias Harris?
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