Veteran forward Tobias Harris and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a 2-year, $52 million contract earlier this month, reuniting the versatile player with his former team.
While some are questioning the value of the contract, the Pistons reportedly see good reason to bring Harris back, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:
“Outside of [Paul] George and two-time champion wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the only other major beneficiaries on the open market who changed teams were Tobias Harris — whom Detroit, sources said, believes can serve as a foundational leader for the Pistons’ rebuild from the NBA cellar — and Isaiah Hartenstein”
Harris, 31, joins a rebuilding Pistons organization that has made several changes this offseason. In addition to hiring recent New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon to be their new President of Basketball Operations, the Pistons also hired recent Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff to take over for Monty Williams on the sidelines. The addition of Harris is yet another change for the Pistons, one that they hope will help Cade Cunningham, who recently signed a max rookie extension, immensely.
After playing for the Philadelphia 76ers since the middle of the 2018-19 season, Harris will now re-join the Pistons, with whom he spent roughly two years with – from the 2015-16 season to the middle of the 2017-18 season. In total, Harris played in 157 total games with Detroit from 2016-2018.
Since joining the Sixers, Harris has continued to be a solid secondary scoring option on the wing, averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 36.9 percent from three-point range.
The Pistons feature a young core of Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson, and Jaden Ivey – along with rookie Ron Holland.
76ers fans glad to see Tobias Harris leave for Pistons?
With his five-year, $180 million contract with the 76ers expiring, it appeared as if the two sides were destined for a split in free agency. There were some discussions about Harris being a potential sign-and-trade candidate, but the Pistons have locked him in on a deal that will pay an average annual value of $26 million over the next two seasons. There are no team or player options on this two-year contract with the Pistons.
76ers fans reacted swiftly to the news earlier this month.
M.Ible Enterprises – “His agent a real magician. Deserves the Medal of Honor for real.”
MJdaGOAT23 – “Who is his agent imma need him to get me to the nba ”
Alex Monaco – “TH will go down as 1 of the highest paid underachieving multi-millionaires in the history of the NBA. Check this tweet in 2050 and it’ll still hold up”
Yasuke – “Tobias fleeced The Pistons hard,his agent deserves a pay rise.”
ginobilisaurus – “Is this one of those deals where they say: “ we’ll give him a contract and then we’ll trade him for picks””
That one Boston fan – “Smart. Realizes 76ers can’t get past Celtics. Get that bag yo”
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