Tobias Harris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Nets, Acy, Pistons

June 29th, 2015 at 11:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets will be looking to add depth through free agency and trades and Thomas Robinson, Wesley Johnson and Sasha Kaun are players they will target, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post reports. Robinson could provide some rebounding and energy off the bench and Johnson would give them an athletic wing who can shoot 3-pointers, Bontemps continues. Both are unrestricted free agents. Kaun, a Russian center whose rights are owned by the Cavaliers, would be an ideal backup if they can re-sign Brook Lopez and work out a deal with Cleveland, Bontemps adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks have declined to extend the qualifying offer of $1.181MM to Quincy Acy, making the forward an unrestricted free agent, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The Kings, Nuggets, Magic and Pelicans have expressed interest in Acy, a source told Spears (Twitter links).
DeMarre Carroll, Arron Afflalo, Tobias Harris and Kosta Koufos are the free agents the Pistons will most likely court, Terry Foster of the Detroit News reports. The Pistons believe Carroll might be easier to sign than some other unrestricted free agents, Foster continues. Danny Green and Wesley Matthews are longshot possibilities to come to Detroit, Foster adds. The Knicks also want to be “in the mix” for Green, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Green has any interest in the Knicks, Begley adds.
Harris’ pricetag will be at least $10MM annually in the eyes of several league executives, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. One of those executives believes Harris’ value is in the $12-14MM range, Mannix adds. The Magic forward is a restricted free agent.

Pistons Eye Danny Green, Other Wing Players

June 26th, 2015 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons will make DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green higher priorities in free agency this summer than fellow target Tobias Harris, as Carroll and Green, both unrestricted free agents, are likely easier to sign than Harris, a restricted free agent, would be, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). Sean Deveney of The Sporting News first reported Detroit’s interest in Carroll, while Shams Charania of RealGM today identified the Pistons as a leading contender for Harris. The small forward spot, which both Carroll and Green could fill, appears to be a focus for Detroit, even after it drafted Stanley Johnson eighth overall in Thursday’s draft.

Dallas is also reportedly targeting Green, though he’d like to re-sign with the Spurs and San Antonio is apparently making that a priority. It would nonetheless seem like a fair chance exists that the Spurs would renounce their rights to the 28-year-old and his nearly $7.648MM cap hold if they can secure a commitment from LaMarcus Aldridge or another marquee target. That would make it difficult for San Antonio to re-sign the three-and-D swingman, whom at least one executive wouldn’t mind paying $6MM a year, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported this spring.

Green, if he could be had for that kind of money, would be less than half as expensive than Carroll, if the Hawks forward ends up with salaries at the high end of estimates. Atlanta is growing pessimistic about its chances to retain both Carroll and Paul Millsap, though the Pistons will have plenty of competition even if Carroll doesn’t stay with the Hawks. Detroit nonetheless has plenty of buying power, with only about $39MM in commitments for next season. That includes a fully guaranteed $3MM for Anthony Tolliver, as the Pistons have decided to keep Tolliver past Tuesday, when his $400K partial guarantee would jump to a full guarantee, a source tells Ellis (Twitter link).

Free Agent Stock Watch: Tobias Harris

June 14th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Will Joseph

Tobias Harris isn’t the most talented free agent available this summer, but he’s certainly one of the most intriguing. Statisticians gush over his advanced metrics — his 16.76 player efficiency rating ranked ninth amongst small forwards in the 2014/15 season. At 6’9” and 235 pounds, Harris is extremely versatile at his position. He’s also only 22. Still, there isn’t much buzz, at least not yet, for the player entering his fifth year in the league out of Tennessee.

Harris can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Magic, his current team, tender him a qualifying offer, which seems by far the most likely outcome. The Magic would have the chance to match any offer another team makes for his services. Harris averaged 17.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game this past season in Orlando. Magic GM Rob Hennigan has said he intends to re-sign Harris no matter the cost, a signal that he would match any offer Harris might fetch from another team. Hennigan’s desire to retain Harris is also a potential sign that the Magic, a team that finished 25-57 and has tried to recently rebuild through the draft, is looking to contend for the playoffs soon. Before the season, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes, Hennigan said he wouldn’t pay Harris near max money, but the executive’s stance has changed, according to Schmitz.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports images.

Ken Hornack of Fox Sports Florida suggests there’s a strong possibility that Harris will end up signing his qualifying offer, worth nearly $4.434MM, this summer to hit unrestricted free agency when the cap surges in the summer of 2016. Harris has said he and his representatives haven’t discussed the idea. After meeting with Hennigan following the end of the team’s dismal season, Harris labeled the exchange as “productive.”

“Talk went good,” Harris said, according to Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. “Only God knows what’s next. I can’t control the future. None of us can. I’ll leave it up to management to decide what the overall plan is and go from there. We didn’t really talk too much about [a contract], just about the season. … He just told me not to worry about it and he’s proud of the year I had.”

That discussion took place before the Magic hired Scott Skiles as head coach. Skiles and Harris have a history together. Harris played the first season-and-a-half of his NBA career under Skiles when both were with the Bucks. Harris, who was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2011 draft, was basically buried on the bench and averaged only 11.4 minutes per game in his rookie season playing for Skiles. The coach, however, has said his relationship with Harris is strong and that the two have stayed in touch, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

In May, Harris told reporters, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he was looking forward to the summer and the free agency experience. “Yeah, it’s going to be exciting,” Harris said. “Anytime you’re a free agent it’s exciting. There’s a lot of great players who are going to be out there and it’s going to be fun to see where guys end up. It will be good to see where my situation leads me.”

There are plenty of potential suitors for Harris because of his age, size, talent and ability. From an analytical standpoint, Harris is considered a new-age “versatile forward,” because of the skill-set he offers — Harris can defend bigger opponents and rebound, he is able to step out to the perimeter and shoot from three-point range, and he can attack off the dribble. Harris shot 36.4% from beyond the arc, and he was also efficient in the pick-and-roll.

Harris, who played high school basketball on Long Island, has been linked to the Knicks, who will be planning to try to attract the New York native, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Harris is a client of Henry Thomas, an agent with the Creative Artists Agency, the same group that represents Carmelo Anthony. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has linked Harris to the Sixers, Lakers and Hawks. The Lakers make sense as a suitor because of how poor the position of small forward has been for the team in recent years, and Harris’ all-around skills can help fill several of the team’s weak areas. Jackie MacMullan of ESPN recently suggested (video link) Harris as a potential target for the Celtics, who have slightly more than $40.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season against a projected $67.1MM salary cap.

In the next couple of weeks or so, it would be surprising to many if interest and buzz didn’t pick up for Harris, who is viewed by some, including yours truly, as one of the league’s most underrated players. Harris has also been highly regarded around the league for his leadership and community service — he’s one of 10 finalists for the season-long NBA Cares Community Assist Award — which could only help his case on the market.

Magic Rumors: Skiles, Harris, Martins

May 30th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic players will have to earn their minutes under new coach Scott Skiles, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Skiles, who was hired by the team Friday, earned a tough-guy reputation during his 10 years as a player in the NBA, and he brings that same philosophy into coaching. “Under the umbrella of developing guys comes a bunch of different things,” Skiles said. “Accountability is one of them. You’re short-changing guys if you don’t think that you can challenge them and that they’ll rise to a challenge.” One the challenges Skiles issued during his first press conference was for Orlando to finish in the top five in defensive efficiency next season. The Magic ranked 25th this year.

There’s much more from Central Florida:

Skiles is doing his best to quell rumors that there are problems between him and Tobias Harris, who will likely become a restricted free agent in July. Skiles tells Robbins (Twitter link) that he has stayed in touch with Harris, whom he coached in Milwaukee, and their relationship is strong.
GM Rob Hennigan held face-to-face interviews with three other candidates before hiring Skiles, Robbins writes in a separate story. They were former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and Clippers assistant Mike Woodson, who has served as head coach of the Hawks and Knicks. “I truly wanted this to be an objective decision about his coaching ability,” CEO Alex Martins said of the hiring process. “I didn’t want my personal past with Scott and my experience with him of having been a player here and our relationship to enter into that.”
Skiles’ record of success with young teams in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee appealed to the Magic, according to John Denton of nba.com. Skiles said he expects players to be on time, play hard and play to win, and he addressed his hard-nosed reputation. “I won’t deny that there have been a handful of times when I may have butted heads with a guy,” Skiles said. “I’m never looking for confrontation, but I’m not afraid of it.”

Southeast Notes: Millsap, Skiles, Brand

May 28th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, said that his shoulder won’t require surgery, just rest, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays (Twitter link). There have been reports that Millsap might need surgery to repair damage to his sprained right shoulder. Should the veteran ultimately require surgery, it is unclear how or if it would affect the market for the 30-year-old, who is expected to command a max salary or close to it on his next contract.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

New Mexico State guard Daniel Mullings worked out for the Heat today, his agent Matt Slan of Slan Sports Management tweeted.
With Scott Skiles reportedly the front-runner to become the Magic‘s next head coach, it had been noted that Skiles had a poor relationship with forward Tobias Harris when the two were with the Bucks. But sources have told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links) that there is no lingering issue between the two sides, and that Harris would like to continue to be a part of what the team is building. Harris can become a restricted free agent this summer if Orlando tenders him a qualifying offer.
Hawks big man Elton Brand said that he will take several weeks to decide if he will return to the NBA for his 17th season, or call it a career and retire, Vivlamore writes. “I’ll see if I [have] another year of trying to get prepared and what it takes to be on an NBA roster,” Brand said. “There is a lot of work you have to put in. … After two or three weeks, I’ll know. See if I have that itch. This time I might not and just lay back on the couch. We’ll see.” The 36-year-old appeared in 36 games for Atlanta this past season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per contest.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Young, Nets, Celtics

May 24th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers hold the third overall pick in this year’s draft and the team will select the player that they believe will be the best player long-term rather than the player who’s more NBA ready now, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes.

“We’ll spend all the available time between now and then to try to gain all the information we can to make good decisions,” GM Sam Hinkie said. “By design, we’ll have to make a decision at the end of June. I think it’s really a mistake to make one sometimes much, much earlier.”

Many executives believe the Sixers will take D’Angelo Russell, but selecting Emmanuel Mudiay remains a possibility due to his potential. Moore wonders what the team will do if either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns fall to the third pick. He believes the team would keep Towns, but it would look to trade Okafor, potentially to the Knicks for their fourth overall pick and an additional asset. New York cannot trade a first round pick until 2018, but that might work for Hinkie, who appears to be one of the most patient executives in the league.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Joseph Young will work out for the Nets, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Oregon product as the 40th best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 53rd. Brooklyn holds the No. 29 and No. 41 picks in this year’s draft.
The Celtics need to improve their talents and cannot afford to pass on free agents this summer, Jackie MacMullan of the Boston Globe opines (Video link). MacMullan concedes that a top target, such as LaMarcus Aldridge, could be difficult to obtain, but even if that is the case, the team needs to add players from the next tier of free agents. She suggests Khris Middleton and Tobias Harris as potential targets. DeMarre Carroll could be another option, as Boston reportedly has interest in the forward. The Celtics have slightly more than $40.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 against a projected $67.1MM salary cap. The team could sign a few mid-tier free agents in order to improve on their 40-win campaign.

Magic Notes: Draft, Harris, Marble

May 15th, 2015 at 3:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

An offseason of uncertainty for the Magic should become somewhat clearer soon, with the lottery set for Tuesday and the season over in Chicago, where apparent No. 1 coaching choice Tom Thibodeau seems on the verge of a divorce with the Bulls. Many other questions will remain even after the team’s draft position and coaching situation are settled, and here’s more on a few key topics in the Magic Kingdom:

The Magic met with Frank Kaminsky, Anthony Brown, Chris McCullough and Jordan Mickey at the combine earlier this week, with Rashad Vaughn and Kevon Looney on today’s docket, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (See all six Twitter links here).
Ken Hornack of Fox Sports Florida suggests there’s a strong possibility that soon-to-be restricted free agent Tobias Harris will end up signing his qualifying offer this summer to hit unrestricted free agency when the cap surges in the summer of 2016. Harris has said he and his representatives haven’t discussed the idea, but GM Rob Hennigan has said he intends to re-sign the forward no matter the cost, a signal that he would match any offer Harris might fetch from another team. The former 19th overall pick triggered the starter criteria to boost the value of his qualifying offer by more than $1MM, as I explained.
Former Magic coach Jacque Vaughn inserted Devyn Marble into the starting lineup ahead of Harris in January, but aside from those seven straights starts, last year’s 56th overall pick only played in nine games the rest of the year, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel points out. That, combined with the injuries that helped cut his season short, leaves plenty of questions as Marble faces a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season, as Schmitz examines.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Harris, Heat

April 18th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic made some positive strides this season and have a solid young core in place for the future, Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press writes. When discussing what would need to be altered to make the team a contender, GM Rob Hennigan said, “Our focus is on getting better. We want to be a playoff team. We’re not trying to be a lottery team — that’s counter to our goals. This season has been frustrating. It has, I think if you ask our players, our coaches, myself— we expect more. We’re also realistic about how young we are…We think with their development and some pieces added here and there we will start to turn this thing.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Restricted free agent Tobias Harris characterized his end of season meeting with Hennigan as being productive, Hightower adds. “Talk went good,” Harris said. “Only God knows what’s next. I can’t control the future. None of us can. I’ll leave it up to management to decide what the overall plan is and go from there. We didn’t really talk too much about [his contract], just about the season…He just told me not to worry about it and he’s proud of the year I had.“
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was complimentary of swingman Henry Walker, whose $1,110,602 salary for next season is non-guaranteed, as was relayed by the team’s official Twitter account. “With a full off-season with us I feel like his player development can continue,” Spoelstra said. Walker appeared in 24 games for the Heat this season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per outing.
Spoelstra also relayed that the Heat are enamored with Goran Dragic and Luol Deng, both of whom have player options to decide upon this offseason, and that the organization wants both players to return next season, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “We love them; Hopefully they love us,” Spoelstra said. “I love working with them and our staff loved working with them. They’re two pros. From an objective point of view, they’re not difficult guys to work with. They’re absolute pros, the kind of guys you want to build your team around, the guys you want to go to work with, the guys you want to be in a foxhole with.“

Southeast Notes: Fournier, Henderson, Heat

April 16th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Al Jefferson indicated earlier today that he would likely opt in and remain with the Hornets next season. Swingman Gerald Henderson also has player option for 2015/16, his being worth $6MM, but Henderson says that he hasn’t thought about free agency yet, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. The 27-year-old did say that he would prefer to remain with Charlotte, Bonnell adds. Henderson appeared in 80 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 28.9 minutes per contest.

Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:

After a difficult first campaign with the Hornets, Lance Stephenson vowed to return next season much improved and with his confidence back, Bonnell notes. “My 3-point percentage was the lowest ever in history. That’s terrible,” Stephenson said. “It’s confidence – just wanting the shot to go in so bad and then you lose your confidence. That plays a major part when you don’t have confidence in your shot. This summer I’m going to find my confidence.” Stephenson’s 17.1% three-point accuracy wasn’t quite the worst ever, but it was a sharp drop from last season’s 35.2%.
Evan Fournier is eligible to sign an extension this summer, and the swingman loves playing for the Magic, but he acknowledged that contract extensions are usually reserved for star players, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets.
Dwyane Wade says that he won’t be recruiting Luol Deng and Goran Dragic to remain with the Heat next season, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post tweets. “Nope,” Wade said about playing recruiter. “They know. If they want to be here, they’ll be here.” Both Deng and Dragic possess player options for the 2015/16 campaign.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan fully expects restricted free agent Tobias Harris to be with Orlando next season, John Denton of Orlando Magic.com relays (Twitter link). “I’ve said all along that we don’t envision a scenario where Tobias isn’t with us next season,” stated the GM.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Sefolosha, Deng

April 14th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic will interview fewer than the half-dozen candidates they brought in when they hired Jacque Vaughn in 2012, and the focus will be on those who have head-coaching experience, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details. It’s almost certain that the Magic regard Scott Skiles as a potential candidate, Robbins writes, and that falls in line with earlier reports. However, it’s unclear if the Magic will give interim coach James Borrego a chance to keep the job for the long term, Robbins adds. The general belief was that Borrego would get a chance to stick around depending on his performance down the stretch, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote in February, and the Magic have gone 10-19 with Borrego as head coach. There’s more on the Magic amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Thabo Sefolosha blames New York City police for the season-ending injury he suffered outside a New York nightclub last week, as the Hawks swingman made clear to reporters, including Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Soon-to-be restricted free agent Tobias Harris regards the season as a lost opportunity for the Magic, as he tells Robbins for a separate piece. Orlando failed to make much headway this season, and for that to change next year, many league insiders believe the team needs to sign a pair of two-way free agents who are in their primes, according to Robbins.
One reason why Luol Deng likes playing for the Heat is its medical staff, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post notes. Miami’s playoff hopes are nearly extinguished thanks in large measure to injury this year, but all signs point to Deng’s return to the team even as he remains unsure about his player option more than $10.15MM, Lieser writes. “I love this organization,” said Deng, who turns 30 on Thursday. “It’s been top-class and everything. I’ve had one of my healthiest years. It was never anything serious. I’ve felt great about the medical staff. When you’ve been in the league 11 years, as soon as you start putting mileage on your body, you want a group that knows your body and you’re comfortable with them. The organization has been great.”