The Philadelphia 76ers made the biggest move of the trade deadline when they shipped Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden.
Joel Embiid and Harden already look like one of the best duos in the league, and they’ve only played two games together. But in those two games, they’ve been dominant.
Tyrese Maxey has played well, too, projecting to be that third star in the Big 3 Philadelphia should be running with moving forward. But where does that leave Tobias Harris?
NBA Rumors: 76ers looking to trade Tobias Harris this offseason
Well, according to recent NBA rumors, teams around the NBA are already preparing for the Sixers to openly field trade offers for the forward this offseason. (H/t Bleacher Report)
Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast stated that there are some questions regarding how Harris fits into Philadelphia’s plans with Embiid and Harden.
So far this year, Harris has averaged 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from behind the three-point line.
While those numbers may not seem bad, for Harris’ salary, most people expect more from him. The 76ers gave him a max-contract extension not too long ago.
Harris is making $36 million this season and is under contract through the 2023-24 season. His salary gets up to $40.9 million in the final year of his deal.
With that in mind, there might not be a huge trade market for the forward. Surveying the league, some options could include John Wall, a salary dump to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and salary dumps to other teams.
Realistically speaking, though, any team that takes on Harris’ contract in a deal will likely want extra incentives from the Sixers – that means draft picks.
However, if Harris can turn things around down the stretch of the season, maybe a team out there looking to make a push could take a chance on him. At the very least, it’s a situation to monitor for the remainder of the season.