Tobias Harris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns, Jazz, Mavericks Join Pursuit Of Tobias Harris

June 24th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ options for a potential Tobias Harris trade are growing, but they seem more inclined to keep him, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pompey hears that the Suns, Jazz and Mavericks have expressed interest in acquiring the veteran forward, joining the Cavaliers, Pacers and Pistons, who Pompey mentioned as possible trade partners prior to the draft.

A source tells Pompey that Phoenix views Harris as an ideal complement to its new Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The Suns are hoping to get a deal done before the new Collective Bargaining Agreement takes effect on July 1 to avoid restrictions involving the second tax apron.

The main impediment to a deal with Phoenix is that the Sixers would have to take Deandre Ayton in return, Pompey adds. Philadelphia doesn’t have any use for another center with Joel Embiid on the roster, especially with Ayton owed $102MM over the next three years.

The Sixers wouldn’t be interested in any other trade package the Suns could offer, according to Pompey. His source says Phoenix wants to add a third team to facilitate the deal, but Philadelphia hasn’t been willing to pursue that option.

The Pacers made overtures about Harris during Thursday’s draft, but sources tell Pompey they don’t have enough assets to make a deal work. Pompey is skeptical that Indiana can change that in light of Harris’ $39.2MM salary for the upcoming season.

Pompey also hears that Sixers management is overvaluing Harris in trade talks and asking for outrageous compensation in return. A source tells him that when the Cavaliers inquired about Harris, Philadelphia responded by asking for Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and a draft pick. A source told Pompey that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey “isn’t negotiating in good faith.”

Philadelphia appears determined to keep Harris, Pompey adds, knowing that more trade opportunities will arise before the deadline in February. A source told Pompey that Nick Nurse is looking forward to coaching Harris and plans to give him a larger role in the offense than Doc Rivers did.

Sixers Rumors: Harris, Harden, Harrell, Centers

June 22nd, 2023 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons, Cavaliers, and Pacers are among the teams that have inquired about Sixers forward Tobias Harris, with Indiana showing the most interest, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. However, a source tells Pompey that a draft-night trade involving Harris is unlikely.

As Pompey explains, a separate source said the Sixers will likely only make a deal involving Harris if they get an offer that’s “hard to pass up.” Pompey has heard that teams around the NBA believe Philadelphia is overvaluing the veteran and is seeking “outrageous” packages in return for him.

Harris’ outsized contract has long made him a tricky piece to move in a trade, but he’s entering the final year of that deal in 2023/24. His $39MM+ expiring salary could appeal to teams looking to create cap flexibility beginning in 2024.

According to Pompey though, the Sixers view Harris as a good fit with new head coach Nick Nurse. If they keep him through this offseason, they could explore trading him at the 2024 deadline or could even try to re-sign him at a lower price next summer.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

It seemed earlier this year that the consensus among rival executives was that James Harden would leave Philadelphia for Houston. That consensus no longer seems to exist, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast. “The brakes have now been pumped, like slammed on, around the league to the point that I bet if you poll 50 front office executives, the majority of them would guess he’s going back to Philly,” Lowe said, per RealGM. According to Pompey, the Sixers don’t want to compromise their future by overpaying Harden on a long-term deal, but the Rockets also have reservations about committing huge money to him.
The Sixers face two significantly different paths this offseason depending on whether Harden decides to stay or go, Pompey writes in a separate story for The Inquirer, exploring how the former MVP’s decision will affect the organization in the short and long term.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com explores the impact of Montrezl Harrell‘s decision to turn down his player option for the 2023/24 season. While Neubeck believes a separation is in both sides’ best interests, he notes that the Sixers will need to address the backup center behind Joel Embiid, with Harrell expected to depart and Paul Reed headed for restricted free agency.
In case you missed it, the 76ers are reportedly attempting to acquire a second-round pick in Thursday’s draft.

Atlantic Notes: Milton, Harris, Randle, Bridges, Toppin, Rajakovic

June 20th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shake Milton is the least likely of the Sixers’ free agents to re-sign with the club, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. Milton is looking for a opportunity to get an expanded role elsewhere, though that could change if the Sixers fail to re-sign James Harden.

There’s also no traction regarding a possible trade involving Tobias Harris and his expiring contract, Neubeck writes. There’s no sense of urgency to deal Harris, as the Sixers believe they’ll have multiple windows beyond this week to potentially move him. They’re not inclined to deal the veteran forward unless it improves their flexibility or top-end ceiling, Neubeck adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Julius Randle believes the Knicks are “not that far off” from being a championship team, he said on Paul George‘s Podcast P show (hat tip to SNY TV’s Ian Begley). “We got a great mixture of talent, bro. We’ve got young dudes, we’ve got guys going in their prime. So we’ve got a great mixture of guys and it’s like, ‘How do we keep getting better?’ So from a team standpoint, I think that’s where we at.”
Mikal Bridges believes that when injuries struck the Suns last season, he got a chance to showcase his offensive ability. That set him up to become a primary option after he was traded to the Nets, he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “I always tell people I got traded at the right time with having pretty much the whole team out and being the guy for about a month and just going through the pains and the gains and growth throughout every day,” he said. “Having bad games and losing a lot to finally starting to get it going and start being efficient and trying to win games. And then once it kind of got to that and then that’s when I got traded. So it was perfect timing. I couldn’t have been traded at a better time.”
Obi Toppin’s trade value could be a late first-rounder in this year’s draft, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The Pacers could be a potential suitor for the Knicks’ backup power forward, Bondy suggests, since they were interested in him before last season’s trade deadline and possess two late first-round picks. However, Toppin has supporters within the organization and he would become more valuable to the Knicks if they deal Randle in a blockbuster.
Darko Rajakovic presented a straightforward approach during the interviewing process for the Raptors’ head coaching job, he told Serbian media outlet MozzartSport (hat tip to Eurohoops.net). “When I entered the whole process, I had no intention of pleasing anyone and simply wanted to present myself, who I am and what I am, what my beliefs are, and what my basketball philosophy is,’ he said. “In the end, they liked it the most, so they decided to hire me.”

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Paul, Pritchard, Harris, Sixers’ Draft

June 13th, 2023 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Acquiring Chris Paul doesn’t make sense for the Knicks, Steve Popper of Newsday argues. Paul, who has a partially guaranteed contract, is expected to be traded or waived within the next couple weeks.

While the Knicks are in the market for another star player, a backcourt of Paul and Jalen Brunson would be undersized and create other issues, Popper writes. Ideally, Paul could be a sixth man, but the much younger Immanuel Quickley holds that distinction and just finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Payton Pritchard will be a restricted free agent next summer and rival teams are keeping tabs on the Celtics point guard, who is seeking more playing time, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, who spoke to multiple executives about Pritchard’s value. The 25-year-old’s $4MM salary for next season could be included as part of a bigger trade. He was disappointed when he wasn’t dealt prior to the February trade deadline.
Beyond James Harden‘s free agency, the second most pressing question for the Sixers is what to do with Tobias Harris, Rich Hofmann wrote for The Athletic. Harris’ $39.3MM expiring contract could provide cap relief next summer and help Philadelphia avoid the punitive penalties for tax teams in the new CBA. However, it could also be used in a trade to acquire a young talent with a multi-year contract or several players to fortify their depth.
The Sixers don’t have a draft pick next week and Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com points out just how unusual that is. The franchise has made at least one selection every year for 73 straight years. The Jazz currently own the Sixers’ first-round pick and Philadelphia had to forfeit its second-rounder due to tampering charges last summer, stemming from the additions of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Spo, East Finals, Sixers

May 14th, 2023 at 2:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are grateful for their extended break between last Friday’s series-sealing victory over the Knicks and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Miami got to take Saturday and Sunday off before beginning its prep Monday, according to Chiang, who notes that Butler has an ankle sprain that kept him out of the Heat’s Game 2 loss to New York while Adebayo has been dealing with a left hamstring strain and left shoulder discomfort.

“When you want to win that bad, I feel like you’ll do anything,” Adebayo said. “You’ll put your body through a lot for wins and a series win.”

The Heat, who as the East’s eighth seed have been underdogs in both of their playoff rounds thus far, will face off against the winner of today’s Game 7 semifinals matchup between the Celtics and 76ers.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that the team’s improbable 2023 postseason run can be seen as a teachable moment for the future, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “These are the kinds of lessons that hopefully that we impart on our children, that you can develop perseverance and grit when things are tough and when people are criticizing you,” Spoelstra said. A year removed from being the East’s top seed, the Heat started off with a 12-15 record before eventually finishing at 44-38. Even still, Miami barely snuck into the playoffs thanks to a fourth quarter play-in game rally. Now, the Heat find themselves just four wins away from a return to the NBA Finals. “I’ve said many times about our regular season, there was nothing easy about it,” Spoelstra said. “But the guys came in with a spirit every single day to try to get better and not make excuses for everything. “We were well aware of all the injuries and moving parts and changing lineups. I think we got better in a lot of areas, and finding different solutions. But we had to do a lot of things the hard way.”
Although the Heat are returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons, the club’s circuitous route back has resonated in a new way, given Miami’s perennial underdog status this year, Chiang notes in a separate piece. “It’s a crazy story being written,” Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of this season, a lot of people counting us out and saying we weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will that this team has.”
As the Heat wait to discover the identity of their opponent in the next round, one rival scout is convinced that Miami should hope to face the Sixers instead of the deeper, more consistent Celtics, Winderman writer in another Sun Sentinel article. “[MVP Philadelphia center Joel Embiid] is a given,” the scout said. “How is Bam going to do against him? As well as anybody. He’s going to get his 29. But [James] Harden is defensible. Miami’s got a bunch of guys who can guard him. And they’re too dependent on him. And then the rest, [Tyrese] Maxey is great. But you’re seeing what’s happening with Tobias Harris. When it counts, he’s a no-show.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Reed, Harris, Maxey, Rivers

April 29th, 2023 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid‘s right knee injury has been classified as a Grade 1 LCL sprain, but it’s actually more serious than that, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The MVP candidate is considered doubtful for the opener of the second-round series against Boston on Monday, and there are questions about how many games he may have to miss.

Embiid has been able to do some individual shooting drills this week and his condition will be evaluated each day, Charania adds (Twitter link). Game 2 is set for Wednesday in Boston before the series shifts to Philadelphia on Friday and next Sunday.

Embiid hasn’t practiced since being injured, and coach Doc Rivers told reporters today that there’s nothing to update about his condition, writes Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice.

“There is no latest,” Rivers said. “Doctors looked at him and he didn’t do anything today. I’ll say this, if I was a betting man I would say doubtful for at least Game 1, but we’ll see.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Paul Reed turned in a strong performance in the close-out game against the Nets and he’s ready to replace Embiid in the starting lineup for as long as necessary, Neubeck adds. Reed talked Saturday about earning the trust of his teammates over the course of the season and said the mental part of his game has improved since last year’s playoffs. “Knowing where they need me on the court, where I’m going to get my points, and knowing where I’m going to help my teammates get their points,” Reed said. “… My teammates know what to expect out of me now, and I know what they expect out of myself. It’s a lot more clear.”
The Sixers will need more production from their supporting cast against the Celtics, particularly if Embiid’s absence turns out to be lengthy, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey states that the coaching staff needs to find a way to get scoring punch from Tobias Harris throughout the game and it should try to run some of the offense through Tyrese Maxey.
Rivers discusses his future in Philadelphia, the Sixers’ title aspirations, his love for coaching, his recent playoff failures and several other topics in an interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic.

Sixers Notes: Reed, Harris, Rivers, Tucker

April 23rd, 2023 at 9:41am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid out due to a right knee sprain, his backup Paul Reed elevated his game to help the Sixers sweep the Nets and advance, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Reed notched a 10-point, 15-rebound game while jumping center for Philadelphia, and also chipped in several key plays on both sides of the ball, opines Pompey.

“He kept his hand on the ball, getting extra possessions,” forward P.J. Tucker said. “That stuff matters. ‘You got to have a motor in this game’ is what I told hm. ‘Don’t worry about scoring. Just worry about being in the right place, right time, helping and communicating.’ And he did. In the second half, he came out and he did that.”

There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:

Sixers forward Tobias Harris helped ensure that Philadelphia moved on in Sunday’s Game 4 with a stellar turn of his own, writes Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Neubeck adds that Harris exploited his size advantages against several of his defenders with adept mid-post isolation activity.
In response to referees’ decision to initially penalize Embiid more than Nic Claxton for what he saw as a retaliation against a Claxton provocation in Game 3, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said that he felt that the league was pointedly favoring the provocateur, writes Cydney Henderson of USA Today. “If we’re going to start punishing the retaliators, and not the instigators, then we’ve got a problem in this league,” Rivers said. “I think the league is setting up a very dangerous precedent right now… Teams are targeting the better player with instigation to get them thrown out and the better player has to be above and can’t retaliate.”
P.J. Tucker helped set the tone for the team’s approach to the sweep, writes Gina Mizell for The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “From the layup line, the way he was adamant about focus and ‘We’re gonna win today,'” Harris said. “Those types of things just show the winning attitude… and that rubs off on all the other guys on the team.”

Atlantic Notes: Toppin, Harris, Embiid, Mazzulla

April 16th, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Obi Toppin returned to the bench on Saturday with Julius Randle back in the lineup, but he still found a way to make an impact in the Knicks’ Game 1 win over Cleveland, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Toppin played 14 minutes and scored nine third-quarter points as New York pulled out a 101-97 win.

“I thought Obi gave us really good minutes,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We got hit with some things (Saturday). Some of the silver lining was the last month, we had different guys out, so those other guys had to step in.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Tobias Harris is often taken for granted but he played in a crucial role in the Sixers’ 121-101 win over Brooklyn on Saturday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Harris fired in 21 points and added four rebounds and four assists. “For me, it’s just staying in the moment and being aggressive with all opportunities that come my way,” Harris said. He’ll enter free agency after next season.
After posting 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game during the regular season, Sixers star center Joel Embiid has set the bar high for the remainder of his career. Embiid still believes he can get better, as he told Pompey. “Obviously, next year, if I gotta get better again, that’s probably averaging 35, 36 a game,” he said. “The last guy that did it was James [Harden] and that’s hard to do, and that’s impossible. But I still gotta find ways to get better. There’s so many ways I can get better. But yeah, so far, it is my best season, offensively, defensively, and as far as everything, growing as a person and as a basketball player.”
Joe Mazzulla won his first playoff game as a head coach when the Celtics defeated Atlanta on Saturday. Mazzulla knows that best-of-seven series are a grind and he’ll have to be quick to make adjustments, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. “I’m excited because of what a series brings about, the mental toll, the emotional toll, the opportunity for adjustments, the opportunity for doing different things,” Mazzulla said “I’ve seen what it represents, I’ve seen the tug of war.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Harden, Tucker, Rotation

April 15th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid, named on Friday as one of three finalists for the NBA’s 2022/23 Most Valuable Player award, says he’ll take it in stride if he falls just short of earning the honor for a third consecutive year. However, Embiid admits it would mean a lot to him to be named MVP, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“This year I’ve made a commitment to not put myself out there, talking about I’m the MVP, or saying I want to win,” Embiid said. “For the guys that keep saying, ‘It’s whatever, I don’t care about winning it, doesn’t matter.’ But it’s all bulls–t. You want to be the MVP. That means a lot being the MVP of the league. There are only certain guys that get the opportunity to have their name on it. It would be a great honor. But I’m the point now where I’m used to (the MVP talk). If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, great.”

The runner-up to Nikola Jokic in 2021 and 2022, Embiid appears to be in a good position to claim his first MVP award in 2023 after leading the NBA with 33.1 points per game and guiding the Sixers to a 54-28 record. Embiid is considered a better defender than Jokic and played about 260 minutes more than Giannis Antetokounmpo, which may help give him a leg up on his fellow finalists.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

As he prepares to face his former team in the first round of the playoffs, James Harden reflected on the criticism he faced a year ago for forcing his way out of Brooklyn to Philadelphia. “There’s a lot of internal things that was going on, which was one of the reasons why I made my decision,” Harden said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “And everybody talked down on me and gave me negative feedback or whatever you want to call it. But now fast forward today, nobody’s like, ‘OK, James was smart, James knew what he was doing.’ Which I don’t want credit, but it’s like, I’m happy where they are now. I mean, best of luck to those guys and (Nets owner) Joe Tsai and that organization. They turned what they had into something really good, so they’re in the playoffs and nothing but great, great talk about those guys and organization.” Harden, of course, was the first of three Nets stars to request a trade; Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving eventually followed suit.
P.J. Tucker‘s 3.5 points and 3.0 field goal attempts per game in 2022/23 represented the lowest marks he has ever posted as an NBA regular. But Tucker’s teammates and opponents recognize the value of the Sixers’ major 2022 free agent addition, especially in the postseason, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a subscriber-only story. “P.J. was just the aggressor, the starter that got us going,” Bam Adebayo said of his former Heat teammate. “I feel like that’s what defines P.J. … his energy toward, ‘I’m going to do everything right.’ I think you need a P.J. on your team.”
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com examines some of the most important rotation decisions the Sixers will have to make in the postseason, including how to handle the backup center minutes behind Embiid and whether to lock in Tucker and Tobias Harris as every-game closers alongside Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey.

Injury Notes: Heat, Sixers, Robinson, Mavericks

April 7th, 2023 at 1:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With the seventh seed in the East now sewn up, the Heat will rest their three priciest players and their first-round rookie draft pick tonight against the Wizards, the team has announced (Twitter link).

All-Star center Bam Adebayo will be unavailable due to a left quadriceps tendon strain, small forward Jimmy Butler will miss the bout with a right hand contusion, and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry will rest with a knee ailment. Rookie power forward Nikola Jovic will also be out due to a back injury.

Three other players are considered questionable with various maladies. The statuses of guards Tyler Herro and Max Struss are uncertain due to a right quad contusion and a hyperextended right finger, respectively. Veteran big man Kevin Love‘s availability is murky due to a right rib contusion.

Here are more injury notes:

The Sixers will sit All-Star center Joel Embiid, a 2023 MVP hopeful, point guard James Harden, forward P.J. Tucker and shooting guard Tyrese Maxey against the Hawks, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Forward Tobias Harris and reserve guard Jaden Springer are questionable to suit up.
The Knicks have announced that they will rest starting center Mitchell Robinson tonight against the Pelicans (via Twitter). At 47-33, New York is now locked into the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, as the team is three games ahead of the Nets in the East standings with just two games left in its regular season schedule.
The Suns will sit their top four players tonight against the Lakers. Sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter) that Phoenix, playing in the second night of a back-to-back set of bouts, will be without All-Star forward Kevin Durant, All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker, future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, and maximum-salaried center Deandre Ayton against Los Angeles tonight. Charania notes that the Suns have locked up the West’s fourth seed.
The Mavericks tweet that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, guard Josh Green, wing Tim Hardaway Jr., and frontcourt players Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood will all sit out tonight’s game against the Bulls. Dallas is just 0.5 games behind the Thunder for the West’s No. 10 seed, but sitting all these key rotation players appears to signal a subtle surrender of the club’s season. The Mavericks are currently tied for the 10th-worst record in the NBA, and given that they owe a top 10-protected first-round pick to the Knicks this year, it makes sense that they would hope to preserve their future draft selection.