Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris open to staying long term

The Philadelphia 76ers might be in a good place as they may not need to worry about retaining one of their top free agents heading into the summer.

There was some risk when the Philadelphia 76ers made the trade to acquire a star level player in Tobias Harris. Harris is on the last year of his current contract and is set to be a free agent this summer. Now the franchise is willing to spend the money to retain the power forward. It seems that Harris is more than open to the idea of re-signing with the franchise.

#Sixers coach Brett Brown said he would like for @tobias31 to be a Sixer for a long time. Harris was asked if he felt the same way. Here’s his response: pic.twitter.com/l2M2oSgoh5
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) March 4, 2019

Harris’ statement came in response to head coach Brett Brown wanting him to be with the franchise for the long term, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com. Although this seems to indicate that he’s very open to returning, it’s not guaranteed that he will. Still it’s a positive sign in the right direction to a deal being done and not the only one. Prior to Harris’s current proclamation, the veteran had dropped a hint that he’d be open to staying in Philly past this season.

Bobi, Tobi and Bryci? 🤔
— Tobias Harris (@tobias31) February 28, 2019

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This tweet came after the news that the Philadelphia Phillies signed a legit baseball star in Bryce Harper. Not only did this tweet hint that Harris was already considering re-signing with the Sixers this offseason, it also revealed that Harris indicated that he hopes to play with his best friend Boban Marjanovic beyond just this season.

Marjanovic has provided valuable backup play behind Joel Embiid when both players were healthy. Like Embiid, Marjanovic can be a force in the paint with his 7-foot-3 frame. While he can be a liability on defense depending on matchup, he’s still a valuable player in the right circumstances. As long as Marjanovic is willing to take a reasonable deal, then it should be no problem for him and Harris to play with the Sixers beyond this season.

Since being acquired before the trade deadline, Harris has been playing at a ridiculous level. In nine games with the Sixers he’s averaged 21.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.8 blocks, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 39.3 percent on 3-pointers. He fits perfectly in with the core of Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick. Harris scores within the flow of the offense which doesn’t disrupt the rhythm of the other star players on the roster.

It should be stated that although Harris is currently open to the idea of return to Philly, it doesn’t mean that he can’t changed his mind. His decision to re-sign could be affected by a multitude of facts including but not limited to: size of next deal, playoff success, chemistry with the teammates and the head coach, his role and if the franchise re-signs Marjanovic.

Obviously, there’s still a significant amount of time between now and free agency, but the fact that Harris is open to the idea of re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers is a huge positive. Hopefully, this leads to a union between Harris and the franchise for the long term.