Everyone expected Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris to attract a lot of attention this offseason, but very few would have expected him to land a max-level deal.
That’s what he’s after though and, yet, it seems as if his current employer, Magic GM Rob Hennigan, is unwilling to offer that much to retain his services.
Assuming that’s the case (and the fact that Henningan opted to select guard/forward Mario Hezonja with the fifth overall pick in Thursday’s draft might offer some sort of a clue here) Harris is officially in the shop window, with a whole host of teams said to be happy to give him what he wants.
At just 22 he’s an intriguing prospect and something of a tweener who, at 6’8” and 226 lbs, can play ably at both the small forward and power forward positions. This season he averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 1.9 APG, while shooting .500 from the field and .364 from deep.
The only problem is that he was playing on a bad team, surrounded by a combination of younger, less-experienced players (like, say, Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo) and unproductive vets (such as Channing Frye and Ben Gordon), something that often blurs the numbers.
That said, Harris has shown some real positive signs of development since joining the Magic from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013 as during the first two and a half years of his career he was little more than a bench warmer in Scott Skiles’ system, stuck behind the likes of Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Luc Mbah a Moute in the rotation.
It is, perhaps, no coincidence that Harris’ decision to push for a move away from the Amway Center, something he appears to be orchestrating with talk of a max-deal, comes shortly after his former-coach’s appointment in the Magic Kingdom.
Skiles made a point of addressing his relationship with Harris when he greeted the media shortly after arriving, saying “We have a great relationship. And I’m positive Tobias would say that as well. I was instrumental in drafting him. Tobias is a very, very good person and a very, very good player. That combination isn’t always easy to find.”
Yet, as mentioned, Skiles, who favours players that excel on the defensive end of the floor, limited Harris’ minutes during their previous engagement, particularly in 2013, when he averaged just 11.6 MPG.
Perhaps that’s an unfair assessment though, especially when considered in light of the fact that the two sides failed to agree an extension last offseason, when Orlando reportedly tried to get Harris to agree to a salary in the region of $10-$11 million.
Whatever his feelings towards Skiles, Harris has been extremely vocal in expressing his love for Orlando. But with the arrival of Hezonja, the potential of Aaron Gordon and the fact that Harris spent a chunk of last season dealing with ankle an injury, perhaps the Magic would be wise to avoid forking out a huge sum to keep him aboard.
Letting him go could raise one or two serious questions about the direction the franchise is headed in though, especially as Hennigan and co were trying to trade the fifth pick in Thursday’s draft for a more experienced forward up until the eleventh hour.
With or without Harris Orlando has an exciting young core that should be playing together for seasons to come, even if it hasn’t quite been able to land a superstar-calibre player to hold the whole thing together just yet.
What’s been attracting more attention though is where he might land, with the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks said to be amongst the frontrunners.
The Knicks may just be on this list because they’re the Knicks, as, given the fact that they already have Carmello Anthony, that they added forward Kristaps Porzingis in Thursday’s draft and that they’re allegedly pursuing David West in free agency, they’re unlikely to start throwing money at Harris too.
In Detroit though Harris could serve as a more modern and dynamic replacement for the (we assume) departing Greg Monroe, stretching the floor at the four spot while serving as an athletic foil for Andre Drummond’s lumbering yet effective post game. The Pistons have also been linked to DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green, but Harris certainly seems like the kind of player Stan Van Gundy could make use of, especially when you consider how Rashard Lewis was utilised during his Orlando days.
As for the Celtics, they’re clearly desperate to accelerate their rebuild, something made evident by Danny Ainge’s attempt to throw a handful of draft picks at Michael Jordan in order to secure Justice Winslow with the ninth pick in Thursday’s draft.
As he failed, Ainge could do worse than to go after Harris, especially as he’s an experienced NBA player, unlike Winslow who’ll most likely need three to four years to develop his game. He does already have Evan Turner at the three and Jared Sullinger at the four, but Harris is more effective offensively than both, even if he doesn’t quite cut it on the other end of the floor.
Perhaps that’s a reason for Harris to consider burying the hatchet with Skiles in order to commit to Orlando, as at least in doing so he’d have an opportunity to work on the weakest part of his game.
Either way his list of suitors will continue to grow moving forward, as should his bank balance.
