1. Tobias Harris
For those who don’t see Tobias Harris as a superstar-caliber player, you may want to reconsider.
The 6’9″ power forward is adept on both ends of the court. He is able to guard any position from forward to center, and he’s also having his best scoring season of his seven-year career – one where he would’ve likely been named an All-Star had he been playing in the Eastern Conference.
At 26 years old, Harris is averaging 20.9 points (career-best), 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from deep.
The Sixers’ search party for a new stretch-4 has come to a close, and the gap left by Dario Saric‘s departure in November has finally been covered.
Harris is playing out the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract he signed with the Orlando Magic in 2015. He will become an unrestricted free agent along with Jimmy Butler this summer, but the team will be pushing hard to retain both of them for the future with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
The Sixers are budgeting to re-sign and keep a new Big 4, including free agents Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler this summer, league sources tell ESPN. Philadelphia has long-term plans for Harris, Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons together.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2019
If the organization is able to keep this newly established big-4 together, then Philly will be heaping endless praise over Elton Brand‘s brilliant maneuvers in making this trade a reality.
Does this mean the Sixers are bound to win an NBA title this season? Not necessarily, but they have undoubtedly increased their odds.
Grade: A