In Support of Tobias Harris
76ers veteran forward Tobias Harris raised his fair share of eyebrows this summer when he and the organization reached an agreement on a 5-year, $180 million deal.
This made him the 10th-highest paid player in the league.
Very quickly, NBA fans began to demand that he put up numbers that reflected that status. What was lost in translation during this signing was the financial climate of the league today.
We live in a day and age in which you need stars to win championships, and multiple stars to do it consistently. You won’t see a Dirk Nowitzki-led team win a championship for a very, very long time. Thus, teams with stars in their contract years have begun to put up large sums of money in hopes of not losing all of the progress they had made throughout the player’s tenure with the organization.
While Harris’ only lasted half of an NBA season before this season, he was a key cog in a team that was one bounce off the rim away from a game 7 ECSF overtime. Naturally, the 76ers immediately offered the market price for one of the 30 players in the league who averaged around 20 points and 7 rebounds per game or higher: 180 million dollars. He also appeared in all 82 games last season, a rare feat for a pro player.
Simply put, Tobias Harris plays his game. He doesn’t have much ball creativity, mid-tier athleticism for the NBA, and plays only decent defense at the forward position. Nothing about him screams $180 million in the way that Giannis’ size/strength and Stephen Curry’s shooting does. What he does have is an elite level pull up jump shot with near perfect-looking form. He often shoots with his feet set, perfect for Ben Simmons’ style of play. He also is fairly efficient (47.2% FG) and likes to slash to the rim for a contested finish with his long limbs. In other words, he has a variety of ways to put the ball in the basket each night, highlight reel-making or not.
When people talk about trading Tobias Harris because of his salary, one gawks because that is exactly the opposite of what the team needs from a basketball standpoint. Fans had been under the impression that the point of The Process was to build up cap space and draft picks to spend on stars like Harris. What the team needs is another Harris-esque player, but for much cheaper.
If you’ve followed my line of reasoning throughout this piece, you’ll see that players this good are hard to find as “diamonds in the rough.” This places a huge emphasis on who the 76ers choose to draft this summer and how well they develop them to be immediately NBA-ready on a contending team. The last thing the team needs is another player who lacks offensive variety, and most importantly outside shooting, in their game. A five-tool scorer like Harris combines well with a Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid “bully ball” type of player.
Harris is probably safe from trade rumors if the team wants to dump salary, as Al Horford’s $110 million contract would probably be the team’s preferred trade chip. If Al Horford’s value ends up being so extremely low that he is essentially untradable, Harris could be at risk.
There are other teams that would pay him the big money to be the final piece on a contending roster. You can bet on that.
It’s what Elton Brand and his team put around Harris, Simmons, and Embiid (for the right price) that will carry them to immortality.
Featured Image: Elsa/Getty Images
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Sixers