NBA Trade Grades: 76ers snagging Tobias Harris from Clippers

Philadelphia 76ers

Let’s start with the obvious: Tobias Harris is better than most casual NBA fans realize, and he is a damn good pickup for this particular Sixers team that needed additional size and scoring at a position Wilson Chandler was failing to fill properly.

By pushing all its chips to the center of the table, Philly is acquiring a 26-year-old who just nearly made an All-Star team in the loaded West and is only entering his prime now. Harris has seemingly gotten better every season, can spread the floor as a stretch-4 and isn’t much of a defensive downgrade considering the point Chandler’s game had fallen off to.

General manager Elton Brand certainly isn’t shy, addressing many of the Sixers’ outstanding needs and swinging for the fences. There’s inherent risk in both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris being unrestricted free agents this summer, but a Big 4 of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Butler and Harris is an enticing prospect if they can keep it together.

The additions on the fringe of the deal shouldn’t be overlooked either. Mike Scott is another stretch-big who can help Philly’s depth, shooting 39.1 percent from 3 this year. He can somewhat fill Muscala’s place, even though he can’t move down to the 5.

Boban Marjanovic, who should really remain on the same team as Tobias Harris for the rest of their careers, is a matchup-based asset. Still, any backup center who’s posting 23.2 points and 14.6 rebounds per 36 minutes can be useful behind Embiid.

This is a bold gamble from the Sixers, and one that needed to happen for this team to have a chance at leapfrogging the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics in a playoff series out East, but it also cost quite a bit.

Sending out two first round picks, especially that potentially valuable Heat pick, stings enough, but having to include Shamet, a promising young player under team control for the foreseeable future, makes it even worse. J.J. Redick will be a free agent this summer, and many were starting to see Shamet as his long-term successor, and possibly even his short-term replacement depending on how free agency shakes out.

Retaining Butler, Harris and Redick would plunge Philly deep into the luxury tax, and though it may be worth it if this group proves itself capable of contending for the Eastern crown, that’s still not guaranteed in such a top-heavy conference. A run to the Finals makes it all worth it. Falling short in the second round (not out of the realm of possibility) casts doubt on the best strategy for the upcoming offseason.

With that being said, going all in was the right move for the 76ers. They gave up a handsome haul to bring in Harris, but the floor-spacing and scoring punch he’ll provide will make this team dangerous on the offensive end. The Sixers have limited time to come together before April, but there’s probably too much talent on the court for it not to work.

Grade: B