There’s a very good chance that Philadelphia 76ers front office head Daryl Morey will look to pull off a Tobias Harris trade during the summer.
The high-priced Harris was on the block leading up to the February 10 NBA trade deadline. Meanwhile, several reports after they were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals suggested that the 76ers are looking for another star player.
With an excess of youngsters and still boasting some draft capital, Philadelphia is in position to land another star to team up with James Harden and Joel Embiid. However, the finances would have to work out. Moving off the $37.63 million Harris is due next season would help.
With all of that said, Philadelphia would have to attach assets in order to move Harris. Despite his stellar all-around play, his contract is seen as an albatross. With that in mind, let’s look at three ideal Tobias Harris trade scenarios from the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Tobias Harris trade to the San Antonio Spurs
- 76ers get: Dejounte Murray, Doug McDermott, Zach Collins
- Spurs get: Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Charles Bassey, future first-round pick
Is Murray a star in the traditional sense of the word? No. He’s a great all-around player and a typical No. 3 option for a contending team. He would also be seen as a tremendous fit in that the veteran can take on ball-handling duties with a regressed James Harden moving to more of an off-ball role.
- Dejounte Murray stats (2021-22): 21.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 9.2 APG, 46% shooting, 33% 3-point
As you can see, the 25-year-old Murray put up a stellar campaign for San Antonio this past regular season. It led to a first-ever All-Star appearance and a firm belief that it wasn’t a fluke.
San Antonio would likely demand Tyrese Maxey to take on Harris’ contract. We’re just not seeing Philadelphia offering him up unless it gets a true top-20 NBA player. Instead, San Antonio acquires two young players and a future first-round pick. It can then move Harris for more assets following the 2022-23 season when the veteran is on a valuable expiring contract.
Related: Trades we’d love to see during the 2022 NBA Draft
Tobias Harris trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves
- 76ers get: Karl-Anthony Towns, Malik Beasley
- Timberwolves get: Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, 1st-round pick
Oh boy. Now, this would be an absolute blockbuster to end all blockbusters. New Timberwolves front office head Tim Connelly will likely look to shake things up after signing a record contract with the organization.
Could that potentially include moving KAT? We wouldn’t put it past him with the Wolves obviously set to build around stud guard Anthony Edwards. Dating back to his days with Denver, Connelly also seems to value players of Harris’ ilk. His decision to trade for fellow forward Aaron Gordon during the 2020-21 season adds another layer to this.
- Tobias Harris stats (2018-22): 19.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 49% shooting, 38% 3-point
Given his all-around play over the past several years, Harris wouldn’t simply be a throw-in. He’d be a great fit next to Edwards out on the wing.
With that said, Maxey is the centerpiece of this hypothetical Tobias Harris trade. At just 21 years old, the guard came into his own as a sophomore (17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 43% three-point shooting). He has star written all over him.
As for the 76ers, they go against the grain and team two bigs up with one another. It would create some major mismatches for opposing teams, given the fact that Towns (41% three-point in 2021-22) and Embiid (37%) can both stretch the court. Add in Beasley’s scoring off the bench, and this would be a win.
Related: 2022 NBA mock draft
Tobias Harris trade to the Utah Jazz
- 76ers get: Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic
- Jazz get: Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green, 1st-round pick
It’s now becoming clear that Utah general manager Justin Zanik is prepared to break up the All-Star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert after yet another colossal failure in the playoffs. And while Gobert is more likely to go, the Jazz would get a whole heck of a lot more for Mitchell. This team also isn’t prepared to contend in the Western Conference regardless of whether Gobert returns.
In lieu of a false hope that they can contend, the Jazz simply opt to blow it up. In this scenario, they acquire two young starter-caliber guards in Maxey and Thybulle. Maxey can easily become a 20-point scorer while the latter is coming off consecutive appearances as an All-NBA Defensive Team performer.
- Tobias Harris contract: $37.6 million cap hit in 2022-23; $39.27 million in 2023-24
Sure Harris is set to earn a ton of cash over the next two seasons. But like we mentioned with San Antonio, his contract actually becomes an asset following the 2022-23 campaign. Add in a future first-round pick, and this is a nice haul for Utah.
From Philadelphia’s perspective, it would be a no-brainer. Mitchell teaming up with Harden and Embiid makes this a legit NBA title contender. Bogdanovic’s shooting ability from the wing would also come in handy for the Sixers.