Philadelphia 76ers: The untradable Tobias Harris

The untradable Harris: What if he is actually the perfect player for the Philadelphia 76ers?

If we throw out all of the serious haters (the people who want him gone simply because they want him gone) then we are left with the notion that there are a lot of players out there who seemingly would fit here better than Harris. When the season ended and the cries began that this team absolutely had to trade him away, what followed was the endless cavalcade of potential players who could fit in a Tobias Harris trade.

This reasoning was based on both the team’s perceived needs and the impact on the salary cap.

When analyzing potential Harris trades it is important to remember that this team is not far away from seriously contending, so anyone they bring in has to be able to cover what they lose. That means they can’t be a poor locker room presence or anyone who might disrupt this team’s chemistry (and they already have two alphas in Joel Embiid and James Harden), and they have to be reliable.

Say what you like, but the best ability is availability, and over the last four years Tobias Harris is second in the NBA in games started, and first in the NBA in total minutes played.

So if anyone seriously wants to trade Harris we need to find someone who is a role model and mentor on and off the court, a community leader, is rarely injured and willing to play hurt, and still puts up numbers that rank among the best in the league. Want to argue that last point?

According to StatMuse, over the last five years, Tobias Harris has averaged 19.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and shot 38.9 percent from deep. The only players to put up that stat line or better over that timespan are Kevin Durant, Paul George, Karl Anthony Towns, and Jayson Tatum. Harris’ defense and passing are also significantly improved in the last two years too.