Why the experts are wrong about the Tobias Harris signing for the Pistons
The Detroit Pistons’ big signing of the offseason so far was the two-year deal for Tobias Harris.
The move was mostly applauded by Pistons fans, but I don’t think anyone views Harris as the final piece of the puzzle, nor as a player who is necessarily going to move the needle in huge ways in the win column.
Most of us saw it for what it is: A slight overpay for a guy who fills needs from a team that doesn’t have any leverage in free agency.
But some NBA experts were far more critical of the move, including both Fox Sports and ESPN, who gave the signing a low grade.
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Their points are basically that Harris won’t ultimately matter much for the Pistons, he was a waste of cap space for a team that should be trying to gather assets and that he’s not even that great a fit for a team building around Cade Cunningham.
And they do have some points.
The critics are right about Tobias Harris and the Pistons, but they are also wrong
I will concede that Harris isn’t going to make the Pistons into a contender for the playoffs, and if the goal of any move is to either make the team better now or for the future, this one does come up lacking.
I will also concede that there probably weren’t a lot of other teams out there willing to offer Harris that high of an annual salary, but as I said, the Pistons aren’t exactly a free-agent destination and will likely have to pay a premium for any free agent until they start winning.
You could also argue that he’s not a great fit, as he does his best work with the ball in his hands and may not be willing to relinquish that as much on a team that doesn’t have an MVP and an elite scorer as he had in Philly.
I think all of these points are fair, but I also think it’s just as easy to dismiss them.