Veteran forward Tobias Harris and the Detroit Pistons have agreed to a 2-year, $52 million contract, league sources told ClutchPoints Monday morning.
Harris, 31, joins a rebuilding Pistons organization that has made several changes this offseason. In addition to hiring recent New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon to be their new President of Basketball Operations, the Pistons also hired recent Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff to take over for Monty Williams on the sidelines. The addition of Harris is yet another change for the Pistons, one that they hope will help Cade Cunningham, who recently signed a max rookie extension, immensely.
After being with the Philadelphia 76ers since the middle of the 2018-19 season, Harris will now re-join the Pistons, who spent roughly two years with from the 2015-16 season to the middle of the 2017-18 season. In total, Harris played in 157 total games with Detroit from 2016-2018.
Since joining the Sixers, Harris has continued to be a locker room leader and a solid secondary scoring option on the wing, averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 36.9 percent from three-point range.
Tobias Harris joins Pistons after 76ers fallout
One of the Pistons' main goals this offseason was to add experience and scoring depth to their roster, which is highlighted by youthful, growing talents. Not only did Detroit recently add Tim Hardaway Jr., but Harris now joins the organization to be a stabilizer on the wing. His leadership and experiences around the league will help guide the franchise in the right direction.
With his five-year, $180 million contract with the 76ers expiring, it appeared as if the two sides were destined for a split in free agency. There were some discussions about Harris being a potential sign-and-trade candidate, but the Pistons have locked him in on a deal that will pay an average annual value of $26 million over the next two seasons. There are no team or player options on this two-year contract with the Pistons.
One of the underlying factors regarding Harris and a potential sign-and-trade with the 76ers was Paul George's free agency. Philadelphia had pursued the Los Angeles Clippers superstar hard, and they were able to land him on a four-year, $212 million max contract, giving him the largest free agent deal this offseason. With the 76ers allocating a massive amount of cap space and funds to bring George into the fold, Harris' situation became clearer.
The 13-year veteran forward also drew interest from the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs as an unrestricted free agent. Harris was also viewed as a potential sign-and-trade candidate for the Dallas Mavericks, who are heavily pursuing Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson.
Harris now gets a fresh start with a franchise he called home earlier in his career. After being a fan-favorite with the Pistons several years ago, Harris will look to help push this team down the path to success.
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