Don’t Count on Phoenix Suns to Trade for 76ers’ Tobias Harris

The Philadelphia 76ers have a few teams reportedly interested in their veteran forward, Tobias Harris. As the 2023 NBA Draft approached, three teams reached out to the Sixers showing interest in Harris, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Those three organizations were the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers.

Less than a week later, three more teams reached out, according to Pompey. The Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns were among the new batch of teams rumored to be showing interest in Harris.

Currently, the Sixers don’t seem all that motivated to move on from Harris. Therefore, the asking price has been much higher than expected.

And in one of the examples from Phoenix’s end, the Suns reportedly kicked around the idea of a swap centered around Deandre Ayton and Harris — but a report on Sunday afternoon shot down the notion that Phoenix is looking to move on from their standout center.

Phoenix Suns are moving forward with the plan of keeping Deandre Ayton to play alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 25, 2023

According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Suns are “moving forward” with Deandre Ayton and like the idea of him playing alongside the NBA’s new big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and the recently acquired, Bradley Beal.

Without any of those prospects on the table, a Phoenix-Philadelphia trade involving Harris would be out of the question, considering Harris is on pace to make nearly $40 million this upcoming season.

Harris’s contract presents a difficult task for the Sixers if they are truly interested in trading him. In past seasons, the Sixers seemed open to trading Harris, but his contract was always a concern considering he’s been getting paid All-Star money as a third or fourth option.

Last season, Harris made over $37 million for the year, which ranked 15th in the NBA, standing in front of notable players such as Zach LaVine, Luka Doncic, and Trae Young.

When there were multiple seasons attached to Harris, he was a tough sell. Now that he’s entering the final year of his contract that he signed with the Sixers in 2019, interested teams might be open to taking him on as a one-year rental to see what he could bring to the table.

But the Sixers have to feel like they are getting better in the deal. After all, Harris has been a solid fourth option for Philadelphia since they added James Harden and has seen a quick emergence from the former Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey.

Last year, Harris appeared in 74 games for Philadelphia. He knocked down 50 percent of shots from the field, drilling 39 percent of his threes while averaging 15 points per game. Harris doesn’t produce like an All-Star while getting paid like one, but he’s still a valuable piece in the Sixers’ offense.

Throughout the offseason, Harris will be a name to keep an eye on. While trade talks seem slow at the moment, free agency could shake some things up and present the Sixers with more intriguing opportunities as teams make changes.