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Former NBA All-Star Rants About Popular Pistons Free Agency Target

A popular Detroit Pistons free agency target has landed a lot of criticism lately.
Oct 28, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) passes
Oct 28, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) passes | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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This summer, the Detroit Pistons are expected to show interest in Tobias Harris.

After the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2024 playoff run, Harris’ contract is set to expire, and the expectation is that he’ll test the free agency market.

For months, the Pistons have been linked to a potential reunion with Harris. As Detroit has plenty of money to spend this year, they are expected to lure in a few notable names, and Harris has consistently been rumored as a potential target for Detroit.

Unfortunately for the soon-to-be free agent, his recent playoff campaign has painted a bad picture ahead of his free agency, and a former NBA All-Star isn’t doing him any favors.

Former three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently discussed Tobias Harris’ Game 6 performance between the Sixers and the New York Knicks.

In a do-or-die matchup, Harris turned in arguably his worst playoff performance with the Sixers.

"To be honest with Tobias, I can't even tell if he had a bad game or not! Yeah, I see zero, but you only took two shots,” Arenas said. “You just didn't do nothin'!"

Arenas and his co-hosts went further in-depth with an NSFW rant, but the point got across: Tobias Harris came up way short, leaving a bad last impression before a critical period in his career.

It was bad enough that Harris was having an underwhelming first-round series against the Knicks before Game 6. While he had his best showing of the series in Game 5, scoring 19 points on 63 percent shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, Harris produced zero points in his follow-up performance.

Harris wrapped up his time with the Sixers averaging 18 points on 37 percent shooting from deep across 378 regular season games. He played in 57 playoff games across six seasons. Overall, Harris averaged 16 points while shooting 35 percent from three in the postseason.

This year, Harris averaged just nine points while shooting 43 percent from the field in the playoffs. It’s unclear if the Pistons will have a change of heart or not, but they are likely to be one of the main teams looking at Harris this summer.

Apr 10, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12)
Apr 10, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) | Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

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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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