If you’ve looked at any of the myriad fake trades that involve the Detroit Pistons, you’ll notice a common element, which is that Tobias Harris is in all of them.
The Pistons only have one player on a max deal in Cade Cunningham, so Tobias Harris, their second-highest paid guy and his deal is expiring after this season. It’s the latter part that could potentially make him interesting to teams looking to shed payroll and clear cap space.
And the way NBA trades work, the money has to match or be close, so if the Pistons want a star player in a trade, they will almost have to include Harris, as it would be difficult to stack enough matching salary otherwise.
Some people see this trade as a foregone conclusion, especially now that the Pistons are off to a hot start, and it does make some sense. If Harris is going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season anyway, the Pistons may as well move him instead of losing him for nothing, right?
Not so fast.
Tobias Harris is a big part of the Detroit Pistons’ chemistry
Those who already have Harris halfway out the door should probably pump the brakes, as he’s an important part of this team that they aren’t going to trade just to make a trade.
Harris was brought in last season to provide a consistent and reliable veteran presence, and he has done that. He’s still a guy you can go to for a bucket, he plays solid defense and has the ear of the young players without being a drill sergeant who yells at everyone.
According to just about every report, Harris plays an important locker-room role that the Pistons value and aren’t just going to give away to chase a big name.
And why should they?
This team is rolling right now and doesn’t want to do anything to disrupt that. The cliche “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind and right now the Pistons are humming and don’t need to do anything to throw sand in the gears.
That may change, especially if the Pistons go through a prolonged slump, but Trajan Langdon has also made it crystal clear that he values chemistry, continuity and reliability, which are things Harris brings.
I also think Langdon wants to see just how far this team can go as is, as the best-case scenario is that they don’t have to go looking outside of their own roster for a second star, as they have three candidates brewing right now in Thompson, Duren and Ivey.
Fans and pundits are always looking for what’s next, but what if there is no next, what if this team can compete for a title as is? Everyone expected OKC to make a big move before last season and instead they added two important role players to their core and won a title.
The Pistons are closer to that than you might think, and there is definitely a world in which Harris finishes the season, and possibly even his career, in Detroit.