NBA Rumors: Tobias Harris To The Clippers?

The 2014-15 NBA season hasn’t started, but it’s a forecasters league and the closer we get to opening day the more rumors will fly. According to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris will not sign an extension with the Magic, and will instead elect to become a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Should he entertain other destinations next summer, according to Broussard his options might lie in Los Angeles, New York or Chicago.

It’s business as usual for talented players to receive market kickers for endorsement deals from large corporations. Moreover it’s not unheard of for young players to forego a contract extension, instead electing to play out their rookie deal and become a restricted free agent.

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It’s worked out for players like Los Angeles Clippers center

when the Clippers matched a 4-year $43 million and just this past summer when the Utah Jazz matched a contract offer for swingman

.

With the NBA’s TV deal set to kick in to the 2016 season, any player that accepts an extension now could equal being underpaid later. With regards to the upgrade Broussard mentions, if that plays into Harris’ decision it will pale in comparison to the deal he’ll receive, however his agent may selfishly steer him towards a larger market for fatter commission checks.

It’s unknown as to if Harris is open to leaving the Magic; however, if the teams Broussard mentions truly are players in this scenario, Los Angeles and Chicago are the most likely destinations for Harris. Although hew was born in Islip, N.Y., the New York Knicks already have a pretty good starting small forward named Carmelo Anthony.

The Lakers will have the cap room to make a major bid for Harris, however at what it would take to secure him versus what he brings to a club, that might not be a good marriage. Although there will be an influx in cap space, teams must still be cash considerate.

Signing a player like Harris to a max deal isn’t ideal for the Lakers. In his best season, he scored 17.3 points in 36 minutes of game action. Sidekick numbers at best. The Lakers would be better off spending that money pursuing the next big cornerstone of their franchise.

That leaves the Clippers and Bulls, who would appear to be fairly even for the Harris sweepstakes, although I’d have to give a slight edge to the Clippers. Both teams desperately need an upgrade at the small forward position and both have similar allure.

Both the Clippers and Bulls have one of the five top coaches in the league, a superstar point guard, talented big men and both are located in a city that Nike would approve of. The edge goes to the Clippers because they’re depth at the small-forward position is pretty meager at the moment.

It’s an issue that the Clippers have been trying to rectify for years now. Last, winters are more tolerable in Los Angeles than they are in Chicago, for weary, arthritic and battered bodies, that can be a big consideration.

The mention of Harris’ endorsement kicker with Nike could be a negotiation tactic itself. A ploy to get the Orlando Magic to pony up and spend cash on the relatively unknown fourth-year wingman. Harris has gone on record to say that he wants to stay in Orlando.

However, he did so before the rigors of an 82-game season have kicked in, a season where the Magic are expected to sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference again. It might depend on the Magic’s performance. Losing seasons have the tendency to encourage changes of zip codes for players.

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