Orlando Magic: Time To Talk Tobias Harris

One of the more difficult situations the Orlando Magic will have to navigate this summer is what to do with Tobias Harris. The 22-year-old forward is coming off of his best season as a professional, although there is still much to work on. Still though, he came out during the regular season with a controlled aggression that saw him attack games.

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That usually meant good things for this Magic team. A restricted free agent this summer, what happens if a team comes in with a monster offer for him? Should Orlando even think about matching it, which would in turn take money away from acquiring other players down the road?

Before looking at if Harris is worth having around for the long term, we need to look at how the NBA landscape is about to change drastically. As a result of the new television rights agreement that the league signed off on, there is about to be an influx of money in the next couple of years. The salary cap will probably go north of $100 million, and then some.

So this two-year sweet spot we could now be entering means that the restricted free agency of Harris has come at a good time for the Magic.

In theory, Orlando could throw something like four years, $82 million at Harris and still have money left over to go after a marquee free agent this summer or next if they wanted to. The contract could be worked in such a way that it was backloaded, if that helped.

Now, whether Harris is worth that much is very much up for debate, and would appear to be a contentious issue among fans (I personally don’t think he’s worth close to that). He’s a young up and comer, there’s no doubt, and arguably one of the 10 most improved players in the whole league this season.

But here is the main issue I have with keeping Harris around. Where exactly does he fit in here? To me, the backcourt of this team is set. Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo should be there together for the long term. Nikola Vucevic is the center of the future here as well, he was given his extension at the start of the season and at four years, $52 million, his deal was more than fair.

In fact, it represented a super piece of business for the Magic.

With a likely top-five pick coming in this summer’s draft, I would think this team should draft a wing player/forward who can give this team something on both ends. That guy would appear to be Justise Winslow, and I’d be more than happy if he ended up a Magic player. But should Orlando draft a forward, they will immediately take minutes away from Harris.

You need to find some game time for Aaron Gordon as well, and in an ideal world Maurice Harkless would see the court more too.

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So where does this leave Harris then? Do I think he could be a great sixth man off the bench for this team? No question there, he’s improved greatly as an offensive weapon. He may shoot a little too many midrange jumpers for some people’s liking, but he’s found his sweet spots on the court and can attack the rim off the bounce also.

He spreads the floor more than people give him credit for, he is an astute passer who can pick out available players.

His three-point shooting has sneaked up on us all to become sneaky good. He shot 36 percent this year from beyond the arc. Room for improvement there, of course, but when you consider he shot 25 percent from three-point range the year before, he has made up significant ground there already. Can you imagine having that offensive pop off the bench?

It would keep this team ticking over nicely and give them their own unique and different Jamal Crawford-like point bursts off the pine.

Here’s where it gets difficult though. What exactly is a sixth man worth to you per season? Do you pay him more than some of the starters not on rookie deals? That doesn’t seem right does it? If you’re offering this guy four years at $60 million, that’s surely too much, right?

But hold on, the cap is going to rise, so maybe that’s fair for a rising talent, albeit one who can’t defend at a high level yet.

You better believe Harris feels he’s due a big payday as well. They say to be an All-Star at the minimum you should average 17 points an seven assists/rebounds, and Harris was right along those lines this season (17.7 points, 6.5 rebounds).

Now, there’s much more than numbers that go in to making an All-Star, but with Harris becoming more important than ever to the offense, he could argue he’s well on his way.

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Now if a team like the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers like what they see, and decide to make him an offer that reflects what they think he’s worth, coupled with the fact the cap being set to rise, would Orlando be wise to match? It depends on the amount of course, but I’m beginning to get the feeling Harris is the odd man out here.

It’s no disrespect to him at all, it’s just the young core seems to be in place and it’s time for the team to use significant money on a potential star who can help turn this team into playoff regulars once more.

As an example of sorts, if the Golden State Warriors hope to hold on to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, while also tying down other pieces to new deals, the feeling is they will have to part with Harrison Barnes. Nothing wrong with Barnes, a young guy who has rediscovered his touch somewhat, there’s just not enough money to go around.

I think that could be the case with Harris as well. What he could command on the market versus what he could actually give this team in comparison to other players on the roster may not match.

So it is with some regret that I personally don’t mind if Harris is allowed to walk away. Best-case scenario, there are no significant offers for his services, and Orlando can lowball him somewhat in offering him a new deal to stick around (Sorry, Tobias). That way the team certainly wins, they get to keep a talented young player while not overly committing financially to him.

Depending on how this team drafts though, and who they go after in free agency, they may just let the guy walk. Could this be one of those moves that comes back to haunt the franchise though, like James Harden does the Oklahoma City Thunder?

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