Getty Tobias Harris #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s late December, meaning it’s once again time for the yearly NBA trade machine to kick into high gear. And no one knows that reality more than Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris.
In Harris, the Sixers have a veritable contributor to the trade “Baitles” — a foursome that includes Harris, Myles Turner, John Collins, and (historically) anyone on the Sacramento Kings — a cadre of players who are always seemingly on the trade block.
For Harris, though, there’s apparently mutual interest in seeing him on a different team. Ian Begley of SNY reported on December 25 that the New York Knicks explored a deal for Harris as recently as last week.
But what do the Sixers want in return for Harris? Once upon a time, Philadelphia might have settled for decent role players just to get off of Harris’ behemoth contract. But now, with Harris playing well, the paradigm has shifted.
“They have talked about him with other teams, they have gauged the market but not in a way where they are ready to trade him tomorrow,” an Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “Something like that could come together quickly, but they are not going to make a trade just to get rid of his contract, they’re only going to do something that brings an upgrade.”
Do the Knicks Have Any Sixers ‘Upgrades’ for Harris?
If Philadelphia is interested in an “upgrade” over Harris in any trade talks, that surely would go for the Knicks, a conference (and divisional) rival.
Suffice it to say that Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the two marquee stars in the orange and white, aren’t leaving Gotham any time soon. But looking down the roster, it’s hard to imagine the Sixers having significant interest in anyone else in New York.
Prior to their winning streak – and subsequent losing streak – the Knicks had internally discussed the possibility of trading for Tobias Harris.
@IanBegley on the Knicks’ loss to the Sixers on Christmas, and what New York will do as the deadline nears: t.co/QE0KXQDGZD
Could Philadelphia take a flyer on Immanuel Quickley, a point guard whose 54 percent true shooting is below league average? Three weeks ago, the answer might have been yes. But with the onset of Shake Milton as a viable backup assist man, the need for Quickley’s 4.3 assists per 36 minutes is significantly lower.
Right now, it’s difficult to identify specifically what Philadelphia needs besides proven playoff role players. With Philadelphia cruising, the best move is probably to let this version of the team continue developing its chemistry.
But that doesn’t mean Philadelphia won’t continue scouring the market.
Sixers ‘Kicked the Tires’ on John Collins
According to that same executive, the aforementioned Collins is a name to keep an eye on in upcoming trade discussions with the Sixers.
“John Collins is someone to watch, they kicked the tires on a potential move there, though nothing came of it. But that is the kind of thing where now they know the parameters, they know what would be required to make a deal happen if they change course.”
A deal for Collins would necessarily include Harris, out of the simple necessity of needing to make the salary work. But Collins would hardly be an upgrade over Harris in Philadelphia’s current lineup.
“Tell a friend to tell a friend that I’m a sharpshooter” – Tobias Harris
21 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
7-9 FG, 5-7 3PT
Rather, Harris represents more of an ideal get for the Atlanta Hawks. Harris, who is connecting on 40.5 percent of threes this season (his highest total since he was in a Clippers jersey), would go a long way toward improving a Hawks offense that is lingering at the bottom of the league in three-point shooting.
Collins’ threat from three has always been more hypothetical than real. He’s shooting just 21 percent from deep this season, a career low.