Tobias Harris went from being considered one of the NBA’s most useful two-way wings to being public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia over the course of five years. The Sixers gave Harris a 5-year, $180 million to effectively fill the Jimmy Butler void and he just could not provide them with what they needed and became the focal point for Philly fans’ ire (especially in the post-Ben Simmons era).
Harris hit free agency this summer and it was pretty obvious that he would not be back in Philly, and many expected him to return to one of his former teams, the Detroit Pistons, who entered the summer with a ton of cap space and a glaring need for a veteran wing who can shoot threes. Once the Sixers signed Paul George to topple the first major domino of the summer, deals started pouring in, with Harris to the Pistons among them, as he’ll go back to Detroit on a two-year, $52 million deal.
Tobias Harris has agreed to a two-year, $52 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2024
It’s a pretty good deal for Harris, who gets a chance to prove he still has high-end value in the league on a team that’s hopeful for a bit of a step forward next year. The Pistons need another shotmaker and secondary playmaker in their frontcourt, and Harris was their best option for a stopgap measure. A two-year deal doesn’t jam up any future flexibility and, if he pops this year, he’d be movable if they wanted next year.
Harris averaged 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year, hitting 48.7 of his shots from the field and 35.3 percent from distance. He’ll now return to a Detroit team he played on for part of three seasons that were the launching pad to his best years in Los Angeles.