NBA teams are used to dealing with parents who have strong opinions about how their son should be used — or is being misused — in the rotation. Teams know how to walk the line between letting the parents vent and shrugging them off — even the loud ones.
Torrel Harris, the father of Tobias Harris, is a little different because Torrel is also the CEO of Unique Sports Management International and the agent for his son. Torrel was recently on the “Business of Sports” podcast, with Bloomberg’s Michael Barr and Damian Sassower, and talked about how now-fired coach Doc Rivers and the 76ers used his son (hat tip Liberty Ballers). Does Torrel think Philadelphia uses his son properly?“Personally, I don’t think so. The reason I say that, well Tobias is an assassin scorer. I mean they can’t stop him. Nobody in the league can stop him. So he’s proven that over his career even when he was with the Clippers he was an assassin scorer....
“And then [L.A.] traded him ’cause they got too good... So they traded him to the Sixers. Ever since the Sixers,’ they put him in the corner.”
Harris can get buckets, but he was the fourth option for the 76ers and Doc Rivers last season, and likely would be again for Nick Nurse. Harris is behind MVP Joel Embiid, James Harden (who likely re-signs) and Tyrese Maxey in the pecking order. Harris averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a game last season, with an impressive 60.2 true shooting percentage. The concern from the 76ers perspective isn’t as much Harris’ role or production, it’s paying their fourth option $39.3 million next season (29% of the salary cap for the fourth option is unsustainable with the new CBA).
Which is why the 76ers have explored trading Harris, who is entering the final year of this contract. There is plenty of interest in the veteran, with the Suns, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Jazz, Cavaliers, Pacers and Pistons all expressing interest around the draft, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The challenge is the Sixers don’t want just to shed salary, they are contenders and want people who can help them win back — and GM Daryl Morey is asking for “outrageous packages in return.” For example, Pompey reports Morey asked the Cavaliers for Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and a draft pick (a laughably ridiculous offer). While 76ers fans could argue that is just the always high starting point of the talks, Pompey also reports other teams feel Morey “isn’t negotiating in good faith.”
Take all of this with a grain of salt, everyone is spinning things right now, including sources from teams trying to trade for Harris. However, Morey trying to drive an unreasonable bargain is not out of character. If the 76ers re-sign Harden at market value they will be deep into the luxury tax and above the second apron, which may make trading Harris more of a priority.
It sounds like Harris’ agent/father would be good with a trade to a team putting the ball in his son’s hands, especially in a contract year.
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