The San Antonio Spurs were expected to pick up a stretch forward with their limited financial room in free agency this summer. They just found their guy, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, they have agreed to a 2-year, $31M deal with veteran forward Tobias Harris.
Harris is a 33-year-old (34 on July 15) wing/forward combo who is coming off a successful season with the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 36.8% from three. He started
on a Detroit team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference, but fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harris is well-known for his three-level scoring ability at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds. He spent a lot of his time spacing the floor off the ball for the Pistons, but was also called upon to be an offensive engine in the clutch, getting some post-isolation plays drawn up for him. Harris was one of Detroit’s best players in the playoffs, averaging 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds, despite shooting only 29.2% from three. He’ll give San Antonio another big-bodied veteran who can space the floor next to Victor Wembanyama and the guards, with the ability to create his own shot when needed.
The rumor before the signing was that San Antonio would not commit over 2 years to the forward they ended up signing. They got Harris for a two-year deal that appears to be the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (roughly $15M a year). That means Harris will likely come off their books when they need to sign Dylan Harper to his rookie-level extension two seasons from now.
It remains to be seen how Harris factors into the Spurs’ rotation. He’ll have to compete with Julian Champagnie for a starting spot. Harris hasn’t come off the bench for a team since the 2016-2017 season. San Antonio has a bit of a logjam in their wing room, with Harris, Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Carter Bryant, and Harrison Barnes. Mitch Johnson will have to get creative in how he divvies up minutes to a roster that was good enough to make the NBA Finals last season.
After the Harris deal, the Spurs still have two open roster spots to fill, along with two-way contracts to give between now and training camp.
