NBA Trades: Indiana Pacers are reaching out to Philadelphia 76ers
By Joe Lyon
It appears that the Indiana Pacers are interested, to some degree, in a certain player from the Philadelphia 76ers, and they aren’t the only ones.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been connected to a handful of teams this summer in the days leading up to the draft. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, three teams have reached out to the 76ers regarding forward Tobias Harris.
The Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers have made inquiries about Tobias Harris’ availability, according to a source. However, another source said the Sixers will only make a deal that would be hard to pass up.https://t.co/viH4g1UKrw via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) June 21, 2023
The other two teams being conference rivals in the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wings are at a premium at the moment, and there have been discussions that Harris may be available on the market. However, the problem? It sounds like the 76ers are asking for a ton of assets in return for the above average wing.
The Pacers need wings and need them badly, but the question is, would Harris be a reasonable answer to solving the starting rotation woes? And I think the answer is pretty straightforward and simple.
Tobias Harris is a terrible fit for the current construction and timeline of the roster.
This type of trade makes no sense for a handful of different reasons.
- Harris is a bloated contract that the Pacers don’t need. We currently have a ton of young guys on good contracts and Harris doesn’t fit the bill for the final piece in order to put a winning team together.
- He’s not necessarily what we need. We need a bigger power forward that can play on the defensive side of the ball. Does that sound like Tobias Harris to you? Yeah, me neither.
- He would be a complete mismatch for the current timeline of the team. Harris is currently 30 years old and clearly on the back nine of his career. This is exactly the type of player that the Pacers need to avoid.
So while the Pacers are inquiring, they are probably hopeful he could be a cheaper short-term fix to the starting lineup. If the ask is anything above average, expect the Pacers to move on quickly.
