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Detroit Pistons Veteran Defends Several NBA Stars on Viral Post

Tobias Harris comes to the defense of Klay Thompson, Paul George, and Bradley Beal.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) warms up on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jan 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) warms up on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

Earlier this week, the popular NBA-centric X social media account @TheDunkCentral looked to engage with hoops fans by asking which player out of four needs to “go.”

Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris was included in the question on the post, which generated over five million impressions in two days.

There were nearly 2,000 replies and over 1,000 reposts. Among the reposts with a reply was Harris himself, who came to the defense of Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, and Paul George.

via @tobias31: Go where? Everyone in this photo set for life. 🥱😂

It’s not hard to tell why these players were being compared. As they are among some of the highest-paid veterans in the NBA, they have each received criticism for being overpaid at one point.

Harris, specifically, received plenty of negative attention during his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers as he played on a max contract that he signed in 2019.

Paul George knows that situation well, as he’s currently in the first year of his major deal with the 76ers and struggling to live up to the expectations that the contract brought.

A guy like Harris makes it known the outside noise shouldn’t affect these players, along with himself. They were offered their current and past deals for a reason.

After wrapping up a five-year deal worth $180 million with the Sixers, Harris earned a generous $52 million contract to help the Pistons turn things around over two seasons. The numbers haven’t earned him an All-Star nod, but the Pistons have made it very clear that Harris has brought a ton of value to the team that doesn’t show in the numbers all the time.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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