Tobias Harris reportedly to leave 76ers this summer. Return to Detroit possible?
If the 76ers are going to beat the Knicks as the No. 7 seed and make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, they are going to need a couple of big Tobias Harris games along the way. Harris has never been a Philly fan favorite, his efficiency and production have never lived up to his contract, but there are nights he just gets buckets. He averaged 17.2 points a game this season, shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc. In a few games his number is going to get called.
Then this summer, the Pistons and Harris are likely to part ways, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The power forward's tenure with the 76ers is expected to end once their postseason run concludes. Several NBA executives believe there's a chance he'll land with the Detroit Pistons in free agency. But there are several other teams are interested in the 13th-year veteran with career averages of 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Harris is a free agent this summer, and he's going to have interest, just not near the $39.3 million he was making this season.
Detroit is an interesting fit — Harris could play on the wing with Ausar Thompson, and they have Cade Cunningham running the point, and Jalen Duren in the paint — but the new head of basketball operations coming to Detroit will have a say in that. (Although, with the names being floated, one wonders exactly how much money owner Tom Gores is really spending on that position and how that power structure is going to work.)
Harris will be one of the better free agents who are actually available and likely switching teams this summer. Paul George and DeMar DeRozan are at the top of the list of players who could be moving teams, but Harris is just behind them. Multiple teams will be picking up the phone and calling Harris' agent, with young teams looking for a veteran presence — Spurs, Magic, etc. — making sense. It will come down to who offers the most money, and the most minutes, but Harris will have choices.
Philadelphia is just not one of them. Daryl Morey has set the 76ers up to have max cap space this summer and they are going big game hunting — George is on the top of their list, if the Clippers can't extend/re-sign him. Philly is looking to go a different direction on the wing.
