The Tobias Harris Era In Philly Is Over, Signs With Pistons

The Tobias Harris era in Philly could have gone a lot better. It felt like a big deal when they first acquired him via trade. It set the Sixers up with an amazing starting 5, featuring Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Harris, and JJ Reddick. That is still the best team they ever had around Joel Embiid.

That crew only lasted half of a season here though. After losing to the Raptors, Jimmy Butler wanted out. With a max contract slot available, and no one else to give it to, they paid Tobias Harris, making him one of the richest players in the league. Predictably, he never lived up to it.

For most of the time, he was not a bad player. Harris scored nearly 20 points per game, grabbed rebounds, and played solid defense. Were he not a max player, fans might have been happy with what he gave them. But he was paid like a star and did not play like one.

Now, after the Sixers signed Paul George, Tobias Harris is gone. He signed a 2-year, $52 million deal. Officially ending his time in Philadelphia.

The relationship between Tobias Harris and Sixers fans reached an all-time low this season. After underperforming in the playoffs against the Celtics last year, fans had enough of him. He was even worse vs the Knicks this year.

After averaging 17.2 points per game in the regular season, it dropped down to 9 points per game in the playoffs. Including 0 points on just 2 shots over 29 minutes in the elimination game.

When looking back, no one will remember him being a steady presence in the lineup over the last several seasons. They are going to think about how he vanished in game 6, or how he vanished vs the Celtics the year before. No amount of rebounds, or good defense, will make up for that.

In general, he was maybe a bit over-hated. But it is hard to blame fans for being angry at that 0-point performance.

He will move on to the Pistons, where it is unlikely they are competitive, and there will be a lot less pressure on him. Don't be surprised if you see his numbers go up as he becomes a focal point on a mediocre team. That said, the Sixers are much better off with Paul George in that Max Slot, as opposed to Tobias Harris.

Even Daryl Morey's greatest detractors have to agree with that.

NBA free agency has begun. Well, legal tampering has begun. The most confusing phrase in sports. Teams can begin to "legally tamper" with other team's free agents. Sixers free agency will be as busy as we have ever seen it.

Not just because they are expected to make some big splashes, but also because they need to make a lot of moves. They only have 3 players under contract. We can count Tyrese Maxey in that because we know they will eventually give him a max deal. But even with him, they only have Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Ricky Council IV, and Paul Reed.

Paul Reed is expected to be cut. His money is not guaranteed, and he was a massive disappointment as the backup center last season. So that really leaves the Sixers with 3 players, one of whom is Ricky Council.

Related: You Can’t Blame Daryl Morey For Every Sixers Problem

There have been big rumors around the Sixers, and what they will do with all the cap space Daryl Morey saved up last season. They finally got Tobias Harris off the books, and almost every other player was on an expiring contract.

That was all on purpose. Morey basically punted last season, to try to go all in for this free-agency period. He didn't force any moves that would have limited what they could do this off-season. The trades he did make, were for expiring contracts.

So will that bold strategy pay off? Can Morey land a big fish to get the Sixers closer to competing with the Celtics? Will they make the move that finally gets them past the 2nd round, and maybe even to the NBA Finals? Let's find out.

This deal is interesting. Why would they pay a guy who barely saw the court this much money? Well it has something to do with how complicated the NBA Cap is. To make a trade, you usually need to send money back. The problem is players the Sixers are paying they mostly want to keep. Now they have a movable player they can trade, and make the money work.

For reasons that are hard to explain, and I don't fully understand myself, his contract also allows them to take back more money. They can take back a more expensive player than they would be able to fit into their cap. So expect KJ martin to eventually be traded. The move may be baffling on paper, but it gives them extra flexibility to add another semi expensive player later this off-season. So it is actually a really good move that can allow them to make an even better move down the road.

Grade- A

Kyle Lowry, on a small deal, is a net positive for the team. he brings leadership, and can be the point guard off the bench. But we saw how little he has left in the tank last year. He cant be anything more than a guy with 15 minutes off he bench per game. As long as they don't expect more than that, it is a good deal.

Grade- B

They took several days off from making moves, but after a few days of negotiation, the Sixers landed Caleb Martin. Martin is a proven playoff performer and a top-level defender. He should be the final piece of their starting 5, with it being Maxey, Oubre, Martin, George, and Embiid. But they could still tinker with things and move Oubre or Martin to the bench feasibly.

It's a great move, bringing in another plus defender. Maxey is the only weak link on defense now, and even he has improved.

Grade- A

We knew this was coming, we just had to wait for the Paul George to happen 1st. Maxey has turned into a true star. He is what we call a certified bucket. He is also the 1st player to ever pick up Embiid on a night he struggled in the playoffs.

This is 100% deserved. Maxey has become a top 15 scorer in the NBA. He finished 11th with 25.9 points per game. In the playoffs, he was 5th with 29.8 points per game. Embiid is still the present for the Sixers, but Maxey is the future. He will only be 27 when George's contract expires.

Grade- A

There it is. We knew it was coming. But they waited for us to go to sleep before they made it official. At 3:30 ET the Sixers landed the big fish they were after, Paul George.

George is not the perfect players. For 1, he is 34, and injury prone. But if they were going to keep up with the Celtics, they needed another high-level player, and George was the best option. He still averages over 20 points per game, shoots over 40% from 3, and plays great defense.

We might see this hurt them a few years from now. But for now, it makes them the 2nd best team in the league. If Morey can get creative and fill out the roster the right way, they could get up there with the Celtics too.

Grade- A

Signing Kelly Oubre Jr to a minimum contract last season was a strike of genius. He turned into arguably their 3rd best player. With Paul George now here, that won't be the case again. But having Oubre around should still be a big help. He is a cheapish option, that they know they can count on.

Oubre averaged 15.4 points per game last season. He can slide into one of their starting roles, and now they just need a starting SG, then a bench. He will cost slightly more than the minimum this time, but still is affordable, leaving room for the Sixers to make more moves around the trio of Embiid, Maxey, and George. Great move.

Grade- A

The Clippers took the rare step of thanking a player for their service before he signed elsewhere. This whole time, the gap between the Clippers and George was the guaranteed 4th year. George wants it, Clippers don't want to give it to him. Apparently, that is not going to change. They released this statement confirming they are moving on from Paul George.

With Maxey soon to sign a max deal, the Sixers looking to sign a free agent to another max deal, and embiid already on the Max, Morey will have to get creative to fill out the rest of the roster.

Enter Eric Gordon on a vet minimum deal. The 35-year-old averaged 11 points per game last year with the Suns. Over a 16-year career, he has never failed to average at least 10 points per game. Is Gordon a game-changer? Not, but with everything else the Sixers plan to do, he is a good guy to have around at the cost.

He is still a good shooter, and can still give a team a solid 20 minutes. At such a low cost, it is hard to complain about this one.

Grade: B

Backup big was not the most pressing need, but it was a need. Paul Reed and Mo Bamba did not get it done last year. They need someone to keep the ship steady when Embiid comes off the floor or misses a game. They get that in Andre Drummond.

Drummond is the best backup Embiid ever had. He only lasted half a season here before being packaged in the James Harden deal. Now he returns on a 2-year deal.

It is hard to find any reason to complain about this one. Drummond is an elite rebounder, a solid defender, and is among the best backup bigs in the league. They get him at a more than reasonable price, and ensure they have someone they can trust behind Embiid. Great move.

Grade- A