When the Detroit Pistons inked Tobias Harris to a two-year deal worth $52 million last summer there were plenty of naysayers.
Harris became the scapegoat for the Philadelphia 76ers’ shortcomings last season, with their fans running him out of town on a wave of boos.
The experts largely criticized the Harris signing, saying that he was washed, was going to hold back the Pistons’ young players and that he was overpaid for his production.
But Trajan Langdon had another vision.
He saw a guy who is known around the league as a consummate professional and great teammate. A player who rarely misses games, who has been one of the most consistent scorers in the league.
Given the Pistons’ youth and injury issues, it was worth “overpaying” for a guy with that resume, as Detroit needed stability, they needed leadership and they needed veterans who stay on the floor, three things that had been missing for some time.
Harris hasn’t been an All-Star this season, but he’s providing leadership, stability and has played 42 games so far while scoring 13 ppg and adding 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
He’s been the third or fourth option most of the time, and even though his shooting numbers are down, he’s accepted and played that role well, deferring most of the time to Cade Cunningham, and occasionally stepping up when they need a bucket.
Overall, the Harris signing has been a good one for Detroit, especially when you consider he has only one more year left on his deal and gives the Pistons a big expiring contract to use in a trade this summer.
Given all of this, you wonder if the Philly fans would like him back.
Tobias Harris vs. Paul George
The way 76ers fans acted, you’d think Harris was a completely washed bum last season, but the interesting thing is he put up very similar numbers to the ones Paul George is putting up now.
Harris averaged 17/6.5/3.1 in his last season in Philly and Paul George is currently averaging 17/5.8/4.9 on worse shooting splits.
I don’t think anyone would argue that Harris is a better player than George, especially when you factor in defense, but he was giving the 76ers similar production for a fraction of the cost.
Harris is making $25 million this season and will make 26 next year, a relative bargain for an NBA starter.
Meanwhile, George is making $49 million this season and will make 51, 54 and 56 in the three seasons that follow.
Harris has played 14 more games than George this season already and is two years younger, so when you factor in contracts, there’s an argument that a team would be better off with Harris than George even though the latter is the better player.
Trajan Langdon was looking for value options that provided the things he needed without bankrupting the future while the 76ers were looking for a third star to complement their always-injured MVP and Tyrese Maxey.
They took the opposite strategy of teams like the Cavaliers, Thunder and to a far lesser degree, Pistons, who chose depth over a top-heavy roster behind their superstars.
The Pistons are currently the 6th seed and one of the hottest teams in basketball, while the 76ers have lost seven straight and are three games behind the Bulls for the final play-in spot.
This is something to keep in mind for fans who are keen to trade for injury-prone stars, as things can go sour quickly when you have injuries and no depth because all of your payroll is going to three guys.
Langdon’s offseason work paid off and Philly’s didn’t, and now the Pistons have leverage, flexibility and options while the 76ers are wondering how they are going to get out of this mess.