As the start of the 2023-24 NBA season gets set to begin with free agency opening at 6 p.m. ET, there are still some moves being made before then as teams look to clear (or use up) some of their cap space.
Earlier in the day, Chris Duarte got moved from Indiana to Sacramento into cap space, as the Kings continue to make clear they aren’t looking to make a huge splash in free agency after also re-signing Harrison Barnes to an extension. The Pacers, meanwhile, have become the team everyone is watching with regards to wing free agents (as well as possible trades), as they’ve opened up a lot of room to make some additions to their young core, headlined by Tyrese Haliburton.
A similar move got done in the afternoon, when the Nets shipped Joe Harris off to Detroit along with a pair of second round picks, clearing some of their cap sheet as well as creating a massive trade exception for Brooklyn, while the Pistons use a large chunk of their $30 million in space to add some much-needed shooting and get some future picks for the trouble of taking on Harris’ salary.
The Nets are trading Joe Harris to Detroit, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2023
Along with Harris and his $19.9M expiring contract, the Nets are sending the Pistons a 2027 second-round pick via Dallas and a 2029 second-round pick via Bucks, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
Harris is due $19.9 million next season as the last year of his contract, meaning the Pistons will once again have considerable space next offseason but add a veteran shooter for this year. The Nets, meanwhile, don’t clear any actual space but do open up a trade exception as well as getting a lower tax bill for now, allowing them to make some additions via trade should they find the opportunity. Whether this is truly a “move before the move” or just a cost-saving measure is something we’ll only know in time, but it’s certainly a deal that will shift some eyes to Brooklyn to see if they have something else cooking over the next few days.
This also would seem to take Detroit out of the running for giving Cam Johnson a massive offer sheet, which certainly helps Brooklyn’s hopes of retaining the sharpshooting forward.