The Philadelphia 76ers have another long, uncertain offseason ahead of them. Firing head coach Doc Rivers has to be a move that they make to improve the team, not the move. This offseason should see the Sixers make numerous other attempts to build a better team.
The roster around Joel Embiid and James Harden (whom the Sixers still hope to retain) was solid enough for the team to have a top record in the regular season. But, as yet another playoff flameout shows, it still needs work. A trade with one of Philly's key rotation players is a potential move that sticks out. After a few years of trying to make the fit happen — but failing when it matters most — Tobias Harris' time in Philly should be over.
Sixers must trade Tobias Harris in the 2023 NBA offseason
In a December win against the Toronto Raptors, Harris scored 21 points and shot 5-7 from deep. It was his third time in the past six games that he had made five threes, this time doing so in a victory. After the win, which he helped secure with an overtime triple that put Philly ahead, he told the fans at home to do something: tell a friend to tell a friend that he's a sharpshooter.
Talk that talk @tobias31
"Tell a friend to tell a friend I'm a sharp shooter" pic.twitter.com/y3ezIqOThR
— Brock Landes (@LandesBrock) December 20, 2022
At that point in the season, Harris' message was factual. He had a three-point percentage of 42.0 percent and shot 41.0 percent of all his field goals from deep. That volume is what the Sixers have always needed from him. For his efficiency to improve alongside it was a sign that he was becoming the ideal supporting player for Embiid and Harden. Through injuries to each of Philly's key players, Harris stayed steady and shot the ball extremely well, fueling a great start to the season.
In the 48 games following that night, Harris shot just 36.5 percent from deep. The rate of his attempts from deep was the same. In the playoffs, his shooting percentage rose by 0.1 percent and his rate of beyond-the-arc shots fell to 30.3 percent. His strong performance in the first round of the postseason was dwarfed by his inability to keep it up in the second round, a trend that the entire team is guilty of but is exacerbated when it happens with one of the key role players.
The scoring abilities he brings to the table in the post have never meshed well with Embiid. Now that Tyrese Maxey is firmly set to be the team's third option (with the potential to grow into more), Harris' development into a catch-and-shoot player is more urgently needed. He had the chance to make the change this season — and gave it a very legitimate try — but ultimately couldn't keep it up.
Doing the dirty work with defense and rebounding wasn't Harris' consistent calling card, either, though he did take on the tough defensive assignments night in and night out. Much of that was simply because he had the best combination of size and agility in the Sixers' starting lineup (which says more about the lineup than him).
At this point, Harris and the Sixers are at an impasse. Do they try again to make Harris change his game (but more permanently) or do they simply admit that it's time to move on and try to tweak the roster using his starting lineup spot and contract? For a team with such little wiggle room, the latter is the more sensible option.
Harris' $39 million contract is set to expire after this season. That contract makes him an ideal trade chip that Philly can pair with draft compensation and use in pursuit of a high-level player that fits better with Embiid and Harden or more supporting pieces on smaller contracts. Harris can also be paired with Furkan Korkmaz and his $5.3 million salary if Philly needs to balance out the swap of deals better. Philly could also try to find players on smaller deals that fit better with Embiid and Harden.
The Sixers could look to make a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for more willing shooters in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock. They could see if the Brooklyn Nets are still interested in him (they are in need of scorers) and look to acquire a package including Dorian Finney-Smith and Joe Harris. If not someone who is a sizable upgrade over Harris, Philly simply has to get guys who are programmed to catch and launch from deep.
Somewhere in the NBA, there is a spot for Tobias Harris. He's durable, a good presence in the locker room by many accounts and is good enough to have a big role on a solid squad. It just won't be with the Sixers based on how the front office wants to mold the team. Because of these discrepancies, it's time for Philly to trade Harris.
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