Getty Tobias Harris in game vs. the Kings
The Detroit Pistons have struggled mightily this year and are currently 6-43, last in the eastern conference. However, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic is reporting that the Pistons remain confident in their core and are looking to add Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers to it.
According to the report, “Despite the 6-43 record, the Pistons remain confident in their young players and future. Adding veteran pieces around those players will be high on their priority list over the next several months.”
Among the veteran pieces that the Pistons are monitoring is Harris, who is currently earning $39.3 million and will be a free agent this summer. Edwards III writes “Per league sources, the Pistons remain interested in the sharpshooting forward who played in Detroit from 2016-18. While a move before the deadline for Harris wouldn’t surprise me, the feeling I’ve gotten is that the Pistons are more likely to go after Harris in the summer using cap space.”
Harris is currently averaging 17.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the 30-18 76ers.
Pistons Improvements
While this season has not gone the way Detroit fans had hoped, including a stretch that included 28 consecutive losses, which set an NBA record for the most consecutive losses in one season, things have been better (at least slightly) as of late.
In the same report, Edwards III noted that “Detroit has played better basketball since trading for Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari in January, beating Oklahoma City decisively and going toe-to-toe with several other top teams in the league. Both veterans complement Detroit’s young frontcourt prospects Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, as well as guards Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.”
The Pistons won three games in January, which was the same number of games they won from October through December.
Cade Cunningham has been Detroit’s best player all season, and is currently averaging 22.4 points and 7.5 assists. If Cunningham can maintain those marks, he will become the fourth player in Pistons’ history to average 20 or more points and 7 or more assists in a season, and the first since Grant Hill did it in the 1996-97 season.
Other Pistons Rumors
The Detroit Free Press reported that Killian Hayes’ camp wants the guard to land on a new team and that Detroit agrees it may be time to move on from the fourth-year player.
Hayes has struggled for much of the year, shooting 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from three.
On February 2, Zach Lowe of ESPN reported on his podcast, The Lowe Post, that Detroit may target Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, saying “”I think the Detroit, Zach LaVine noise is real, and that if the Pistons do that, Bulls fans need to be prepared for a return that will underwhelm them.”
However, on February 3, the Bulls announced that LaVine will have surgery on his right foot which will sideline him for the next four to six months.
Edwards III also added that the Pistons remain committed to keeping veterans Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks “unless an offer featuring good picks and/or solid players comes to the table.”