Getty A proposed trade would send Sixers forward Tobias Harris to his former team for veteran depth
Tobias Harris would return to his old team, the Los Angeles Clippers, with the Philadelphia 76ers returning three veteran depth pieces in a proposed mock trade from PhillyVoice’s Shamus Clancy. Those returning pieces include former Sixers forward Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, and Eric Gordon, while Furkan Korkmaz would also land with LA in Clancy’s scenario.
Clancy feels that Harris returning to the team he played his best basketball with on an expiring contract is the best case for him and the Clippers.
“Despite having all-world players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the roster, Los Angeles is in need of a bit of a shakeup,” Clancy wrote. “Harris played his best ball ever with the Clippers and this is a soft reset of sorts with an exchange of expiring deals.”
As for the Sixers’ side of this transaction, Clancy noted that Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey would be returning several former Houston Rockets teammates of impending free agent James Harden.
“When it comes to the Sixers, do you really think Daryl Morey is going to pass up a chance to get one of his former Rockets players in Gordon? Morey also signed Covington as an undrafted free agent in Houston in 2013 and traded for him in 2020,” Clancy prefaced before saying, “New head coach Nick Nurse could get creative with strong defensive lineups with forwards Covington and P.J. Tucker who, in theory, should be shooting threats from the corners.”
‘Nothing Imminent’ on Tobias Harris Trade Front For Sixers
While Harris trade scenarios are perhaps the most common amongst any Sixers player, there’s no guarantee he will be moved. As Liberty Ballers’ Paul Hudrick reported, there’s “nothing imminent” on the Harris trade front.
“There’s nothing imminent on Harris and the chances of him moving ahead of the draft are low, per a league source,” Hudrick said. “Apparently the Sixers share the view that Harris should be seen as a positive asset and will only look to move the veteran forward in a deal that makes sense for them.”
The Sixers could be in a better position to extract maximum value out of Harris by waiting until the 2024 trade deadline. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, it could take an offer that’s “hard to pass up” for Morey to part with Harris.
The Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers have made inquiries about Tobias Harris’ availability, according to a source. However, another source said the Sixers will only make a deal that would be hard to pass up.
t.co/viH4g1UKrw via @phillyinquirer
Tobias Harris Deemed By Analyst a Bad Fit For Pacers
One team included in Pompey’s report about teams with an interest in Harris is the Indiana Pacers — but 8 Points, 9 Seconds’ Joe Lyon believes Harris’ fit in the Hoosier State wouldn’t be a good one.
“He would be a complete mismatch for the current timeline of the team,” Lyon prefaced before saying, “Harris is currently 30 years old and clearly on the back nine of his career. This is exactly the type of player that the Pacers need to avoid.”
Lyon doesn’t see Harris as the final piece to get the Pacers over the top given his massive contract and mismatched profile as a veteran on the wrong side of 30 alongside young players on cheap deals.
“Harris is a bloated contract that the Pacers don’t need,” Lyon wrote. “(The Pacers) currently have a ton of young guys on good contracts and Harris doesn’t fit the bill for the final piece in order to put a winning team together.”