Tobias Harris is leaving the Detroit Pistons and is heading south to join the San Antonio Spurs. Harris was signed to a two-year deal worth 31 million dollars. The signing was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. Harris was the Pistons’ second-leading scorer and was known to the team as a locker-room leader. In joining San Antonio, he joins an extremely deep group of forwards.
Spurs Make The Biggest Free Agent Signing In Years
The First Questionable Move Of The Offseason
Even though Harris is coming off a fantastic year with the Pistons, there are some questionable aspects of this signing. Even though the price San Antonio is paying for Harris is limited, he is on a two-year deal. This means that he will still be on the team when superstar Victor Wembanyama needs to be re-signed. Harris is also turning 34 this month and will be almost 36 by the end of his contract. The deal with Harris might look fantastic for the first year, but if Harris stops playing well in the second year, he may turn into a liability.
The second potential problem with the signing is that almost every move San Antonio has made this offseason has been centered around adding depth at the power forward position. Players like Carter Bryant, who is moving into his sophomore year, will have less playing time. The Spurs also added two first-round rookies who can both play power forward. Furthermore, the initial thought was that the recently paid Julian Champagnie would return to his starting role as power forward until any of the several capable young players the Spurs had earned the spot.
Without this playing time for the younger players, it seems that San Antonio is valuing the present over the future. However, it is still a good thing that the Spurs were able to upgrade their starting power forward position without breaking the bank.
The Spurs Have A Starting Power Forward
Considering that the Spurs have already proven themselves as contenders, improving the starting lineup is huge for their championship hopes for next year. Moving Harris into the starting lineup fills up multiple holes that the Spurs have. With Champagnie on the bench, the Spurs will have extra size in the starting lineup. Harris is also a veteran who can help manage late-game situations, an unfortunate point of struggle for the Spurs this past postseason.
Harris makes up for Champagnie’s departure to the bench with his solid three-point shooting. Harris allows the Spurs to get more physical without trading their playstyle. Champagnie’s move to the bench also allows San Antonio to have one of the best benches in the league. The Spurs’ second unit struggled to score in the playoffs with consistency. This will most likely not be the case next year with the team’s best three-point shooter on the bench to help space the floor.
Harris also has the most important quality to look for in a signing like this: maturity. San Antonio looks for maturity even in their younger players, and Harris is not only a veteran but also a leader.
“He is dependable, reliable, prepared for the moment. He’s a leader…” said former coach J.B. Bickerstaff. The veteran forward not only helped to lead his team in the playoffs, but he also rose as a performer. When everything started to fall apart for the Pistons, Harris was a consistent source for his teammates.
With the arrival of Harris, San Antonio seemingly only has a few holes left to fill this offseason. San Antonio’s deep playoff run has already rewarded them with knowledge of how to move forward and potentially win a title. Despite playing 16 seasons in the league, Harris has not yet won a championship, but that might change soon.
Featured Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
