The Sixer Sense
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4 Tobias Harris Trades that Allow the Sixers to Run It Back

By Justin DiVirgilio

Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Sixers trade proposal
Joel Embiid, Buddy Hield, Sixers trade proposal (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers decided to give the Indiana Pacers’ front office a ring and broach a trade with them surrounding Tobias Harris. That is because Indiana has had a popularly rumored Sixers trade target over the past few seasons in shooting guard Buddy Hield.

The thinking here from the Sixers is that they receive one of the better three-point shooters on a high volume in the league in Buddy Hield and a first-round pick in a pretty good draft. Hield is entering his age-31 season and has established himself as a valuable contributing rotation player in the NBA. Ever since he’s become more of a spot-up or closeout attacking option, Hield has carved out a specific role for himself.

It was around the 2020-2021 season that Hield fell into place in his role due to the emergence of the backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton while the three were in Sacramento Kings uniforms. Last season, Hield averaged 16.8 points per game with shooting splits of .458/.425/.822 and took an average of 8.5 three-pointers per game. That production will certainly be beneficial to the Sixers’ offense. Hield’s ability to shoot off the catch, off of movement, and off of the dribble will create more fluid offense for the three primary offensive forces the Sixers have.

The Sixers make this trade for a few reasons. Alleviating their financial books of Harris’ bloated salary, receiving a dead-eye shooter that is an expiring contract, and a first-round pick for this draft that they didn’t have. The Pacers would do this trade because of their need at power forward, which is Harris’ ideal position, their ability to loosen up the logjam of guards that they have in Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Andrew Nembhard, and gaining a young promising player in Jaden Springer.

There is a world the Pacers just straight up reject this deal and it’s for a few reasons. The first is the fact that Harris is not one of their top priorities when it comes to filling their need at power forward. For reason number two it is in question form, why would the Pacers trade a first-round pick in this deal? That would have to be taken out for the deal to get done. The final reason is that Indiana feels they could dump Hield’s contract for something better in return.