The Detroit Pistons signed free-agent Tobias Harris to a two-year deal yesterday, making their first big splash in free agency in years.
The move drew mixed reviews from fans, though most were positive about the idea of a consistent veteran scorer on a short-term deal.
I am one of them, as I don’t think there were free agents lined up to go to Detroit, Harris fills a big need for a floor-spacing power forward and the deal won’t hurt the Pistons at all.
Of course, there were fans who weren’t satisfied with the move and bemoaned every free agent that the Pistons didn’t sign, citing Harris as an over-the-hill, overpaid band-aid who had a rough playoffs last season.
I liked the Harris signing, which still leaves the Pistons with around $26 million in cap space to make other moves. They’ll be able to move his contract next year as an expiring deal and reap some assets as well, so this deal has both short and long-term benefits for Detroit.
But to placate the misery brigade, I’ll play Devil’s Advocate here and look at three players the Pistons could have signed instead.
Klay Thompson
Thompson ended up taking a 3 year/$50 million deal to go to Dallas, so his deal was cheaper than Harris’ and has an extra year. Thompson is 34 years old and still relatively productive.
The Pistons might have been able to lure him with a shorter deal worth more annually, but the likelihood is that Thompson never even considered Detroit as an option and why would he?
Fans seem to forget that free agents have sovereignty over where they go and few veterans are going to choose the worst and one of the youngest teams in the league as a spot to finish their careers.
But if you are just looking at the money, Thompson was pretty good value, as he cost $10 million less per year than Harris.