Sixers trading Tobias Harris to the Mavericks makes sense

In the past, I’ve written about three potential trades involving Tobias Harris. The reason for that despite Harris being a good player and a great human being, he’s clearly being overpaid. As a result, it’s crippled the Philadelphia 76ers‘ ability to be flexible in their roster construction.

Recently here at The Sixer Sense, Joshua Leitch wrote about teams that should be interested in taking on Harris’ remaining three years and roughly $115.5 million remaining on his contract. Leitch had several teams in the article, but one team that stood out was the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks (Mavs) weren’t a destination in my aforementioned article, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I drew inspiration from Leitch’s article and I concocted a potential trade between the two sides as well as the logic behind the trade. It should be noted that the proposed deal below was tested and approved on Fanspo.com.

The Sixers trading Harris to the Mavs makes sense for both sides.

From the Sixers’ standpoint, they get off of Harris’ huge contract while getting two good role players. Tim Hardaway Jr. isn’t as talented as a scorer as Harris is, but his fit alongside Joel Embiid as a floor spacer makes more sense despite his struggles from the 3-point line this year.

Maxi Kleber can be used as a stretch four and he’s a two-way player so his fit next to Embiid should be seamless. Giving up a first round pick in this deal is a hard pill to swallow, but having the Mavericks take on Harris’ contract is also a big ask from the Sixers’ end so it’s only fair to send draft compensation.

For the Mavericks, this move would embrace having Kristaps Porzingis as a starting center. Harris could be a true number three option behind Luka Doncic and Porizingis, while allowing the Mavericks to play faster on offense. They also get a young prospect in Paul Reed and get a lottery-protected first round pick in 2023 that if it doesn’t convert it turns into two future second round picks.

The Sixers get more roster flexibility in this deal and the Mavs get a player that fits as an ideal third wheel next to their duo and potentially a first round pick. It’s a win for both sides and something that should be discussed heading into the trade deadline.