The Bulls appear to have Mavs guard Devin Harris in their sights, as a source tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com that Harris has “been connected” to the team. Harris and the Mavs have mutual interest in a return, so it seems like it will be somewhat challenging for Chicago to convince him to come north and back up Derrick Rose. Harris is seeking a long-term deal, so perhaps Chicago will be willing to give him more security than the Mavs, though Dallas was ready to sign him to a three-year, $9MM deal this past summer before a toe injury scuttled those plans.
That same injury forced Harris to miss half of this past season after Dallas circled back and signed him to a one-year deal for the minimum salary, and once he returned, he took on a less prominent role than he’s accustomed to. Still, his 4.5-to-1.5 assists-to-turnover ratio this season was the best of his 10-year career, as the 31-year-old remains efficient.
Chicago appears poised to choose between soon-to-be free agents D.J. Augustin and Kirk Hinrich, who split point guard duties in Rose’s absence this year. The team has the flexibility to go in many different directions this summer, as I detailed last week, with Carmelo Anthony and Nikola Mirotic the primary targets. The Bulls will no doubt seek resolution with Anthony and Mirotic before moving on to Harris, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the team merely sees him as a fallback in case Augustin or Hinrich signs elsewhere. Chicago’s interest is nonetheless indication that the Excel Sports Management client is still well-regarded as a rotation-caliber player even if his days as an All-Star are long gone.
Devin Harris still has a lot in his tank so don’t sell him short that his All Star days are gone. Dallas may think he is only good as a rotational caliber player but I think they are also wrong. Devon has always been a smart player and he will adjust in any situation but don’t sell this player short. Devin is a fighter and once he is up and running at full capacity and knows he has to fight his way up to the top, don’t be surprise by Devon’s performance and I hope Dallas doesn’t sell him short by sticking him in the back.
All Star days? Not even close.
Don’t sell harris