After spending six seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris is going to play for the Detroit Pistons in 2024-25.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Harris has agreed to a two-year, $52 million deal with the Pistons.
Harris played out the final season of his five-year, $180 million contract signed in July 2019. He made $39.3 million in 2023-24.
Philadelphia’s decision to extend Harris comes as a bit of a surprise because it locks the team into a lot of future money, but he’s been a steady performer for a club that routinely makes the playoffs as long as Joel Embiid is healthy.
The Sixers also would have been taking a significant risk with potentially losing another key player after the James Harden trade early in the season. Tyrese Maxey’s ascent to a potential All-Star does give the Sixers two cornerstone pieces to build around.
Harris had been mentioned in trade rumors several times during his tenure with the Sixers, but they never found a deal to their liking as they look to take another step forward in Nick Nurse’s first season as head coach.
All of the roster turnover in Philadelphia often meant Harris had to shoulder a heavier burden than normal. He was good in Nurse’s system with 17.2 points on 48.7 percent shooting and 6.5 rebounds per game in 70 starts.
If Harris brings that level of production over to the Pistons, they will be very happy with this signing. He’s a limited player in some respects, but as long as his new club is realistic about his ceiling as the third- or fourth-best player on a contending team, he will fit right in.
Detroit’s roster is built around young players like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson. That’s an incredibly promising trio, but it hasn’t translated to anything resembling success on the court.
The Pistons finished last season with the worst record in the NBA (14-68) and tied a league record with 28 consecutive losses.
Harris is a solid veteran presence who is almost certain to average around 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game with efficient shooting numbers. He’s not going to substantially impact winning if he’s asked to be more than the third- or fourth-best player on a playoff contender, but the upside is solid for a Pistons team in need of talent and leadership.