It has been discussed numerous times how atrocious of a contract Tobias Harris has. Harris is set to make over $35 million this year and more in the following two years with the Philadelphia 76ers. This is absolutely awful, but don’t be mistaken Harris is a good player.
He is an above-average starter and can be the third-best player on a championship-caliber team. The problem with his contract is that he is being paid as if he is the star of the championship-caliber team.
For reference here are a few players who are making less than Harris in the next three years; Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and many others. Harris is not awful, but his contract is.
Who would want to trade the Philadelphia 76ers for Tobias Harris?
However, ignoring the atrocious contract, Harris is a player that many teams would like on their team. He is an above-average 3-point shooter (a career 36.4 percent shooter). He is a decent defender who is able to guard either the small forward or the power forward positions well.
He is also a flexible player and he has shown with the Sixers the ability to either play as a big small forward or as a stretch-four. Due to his unique size and skill set, he is a mismatch nightmare for opposing teams. Most fours are too big and slow to guard him, while he is simply significantly bigger than who teams usually have playing at small forward.
“Harris separated from his salary is an incredible asset for any team.”
This is all to say that Harris’ skillset is one that most teams would desire. If Harris was earning somewhere around $20 million a year, then he would be an extremely valuable trade asset. Every single team in the league could use a wing who can create his own shot occasionally, spread the floor, and play respectable defense on multiple positions.
In addition to all this, he is a great veteran leader presence in the locker room. Harris separated from his salary is an incredible asset for any team. However, are there any teams that would actually be willing to trade for both his skillset and his salary?
There are two separate categories of teams who might be willing to trade for him. First, teams who are in win-now mode, teams who believe that they are one piece away from winning the championship. Then secondly, teams who have signed contracts that they are looking to dump.