Rival teams expect Tobias Harris to be available this summer

The Sixers explored potential trades involving Tobias Harris last month in case they had to clear cap room to sign James Harden in free agency, and those talks could result in a deal during the offseason, Brian Windhorst of ESPN says on his latest podcast.

“I’ve talked to league executives because I’m asking league executives a lot about Philly and everyone’s seen them for just a brief period of time,” Windhorst said. “But they’re already speculating what Tobias Harris trades they might look at this summer.” 

Now that he has acquired Harden, there’s been speculation that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey might pursue another star to pair with him and Joel Embiid. He’ll have to unload a lot of salary to make that happen, and a logical starting point is Harris, who will make $37.6M next season and $39.3M in 2023/24.

The Sixers reportedly talked to the Hawks and Kings about possibly dealing for Harris, and there was speculation that the Thunder might be willing to take on his salary if enough assets are attached. Philadelphia may find even more options this summer as teams have more cap space available.

Harris has been one of the mainstays of Philadelphia’s offense since being acquired in a trade with the Clippers three years ago. However, his scoring average and shots per game have both declined slightly this season and he appears to be looking at a further reduced role now that Harden has arrived.