Tobias Harris could finally find a home in Dallas

27/06/2024

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off of one of the best seasons in franchise history. However, they are also coming off of a series that showed one of their primary weaknesses is shot creation and making outside of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. To put it simply, the Mavericks do not have enough offensive juice from their frontcourt.

The Basics

Tobias Harris could help change that. He has long received criticism for his playoff performances and bloated contract. Those criticisms are not nearly as valid as the masses would have you believe. Negotiating a contract to receive maximum payment is part of a player’s job. Harris has secured generational wealth on that contract that people complain about, and it is over. Harris will not make $40 million this upcoming season, but he is still an incredibly valuable basketball player that may be able to take a discount because of that massive contract.

As far as the playoff performances go, he has career averages of 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 34.9 percent shooting from three and 86.3 percent free throw shooting.

Harris is a 6-foot-8 forward with a 6-foot-11 wingspan who would fit in nicely with the Mavericks focus on length and size. He is not a defensive stopper in the sense of Derrick Jones Jr, but he is a good defender. He moves his feet well and has active hands.

Harris’ teams have consistently been better with him on the court, as he has had a clearly positive net rating each of the last five years.

Strengths

Harris’ primary strength is his ability to marry shooting with size. The Mavericks have one of the worst shooting frontcourts in the modern NBA. The recent news that PJ Washington is reworking his jumper this offseason spikes even more concern about the Mavericks front court shooting. Harris would alleviate those concerns greatly.

The Mavericks have had to choose between shooting and size/defense, even after the trade deadline. Josh Green has his moments but he is clearly a guard. Tim Hardaway Jr can shoot, but he compromises the defense and is apparently going to be dealt. Maxi Kleber has long been the Mavericks answer to shooting with size, but Kleber has made 83 total threes over the last two seasons including the playoffs. Teams do not guard him, making his spacing more theoretical than real. Harris would provide the Mavericks with the ability to not have to make Sophie’s choice every time they make a frontcourt substitution. He can defend up because of his length and he can both shoot and dribble.

Harris also provides legitimate secondary playmaking. The finals made it clear how desperate the Mavericks are for someone other than Doncic and Irving to be able to create a shot for themselves or someone else. Harris can do both.

Over the last 6 seasons, Harris has averaged 3.1 assists per game. It is important to realize that he has generated all of his numbers while playing with Joel Embiid and James Harden or Tyrese Maxey recently. This is important because Embiid and Maxey especially are as ball dominant as Doncic and Irving without the playmaking chops that the Mavericks backcourt possess. Harris would essentially be playing with the NBA equivalent of the Staples “easy” button if he came to Dallas.

Harris’ other great strength is availability. The Mavericks have recently had quite a few players who are consistent injury concerns. Harris has missed 42 games total over the last 8 seasons. The man shows up to work every night, and as the old saying goes, the best ability is availability.

Weaknesses

Harris is a solid defender, but he is not the point of attack defender that Derrick Jones Jr is. That is an important skill that allows Irving and Doncic to remain fresh, while allowing the Mavericks to remain elite defensively.

His other weakness as it relates to the Mavericks is that he may simply be too good to fit into the Mavericks price range. The Mavericks cannot sign and trade for Harris without hard capping themselves at the first apron. Making a trade to get to the full midlevel exception to offer Harris would also hard cap the Mavericks. That full mid level exception price tag would also be Harris taking a massive discount.

NBA general managers know how good Harris is. He will likely be able to command $20+ million per season on his next deal if he prioritizes money. Taking a near $10 million per season pay cut to play in Dallas in his ideal fit is much easier for me to write than for him to actually do.

Fit with the Mavericks

Harris’ fit with the Mavericks is very good but not quite perfect. Both him and PJ Washington are more power forwards than small forwards in the current NBA. This could lead to some problematic matchups for the Mavericks, but Irving has shown that when engaged he can guard the point of attack.

The offensive fit is hand-in-glove. Think of all the kick-outs Maxi Kleber and Derrick Jones Jr have received. Now imagine a man who has made as many as 183 threes in a season receiving those kick-outs. Also, Harris would move the Mavericks one step closer to the idealized modern basketball that the Boston Celtics just used to beat the Mavericks in the finals. Harris is another piece who could both require a hard closeout and then attack off the dribble before finishing or performing another kick-out himself.

Harris can also use his combination of length and athleticism to keep the Mavericks multiple angle lob threat system intact. Harris is not the athlete Derrick Jones Jr is, but virtually no one in the NBA is. His 6-11 wingspan to go along with his athleticism(38 inch vertical at the NBA combine so long ago) is plenty to allow him to catch lobs from Doncic and combined with his shooting, might even allow the Mavericks to have more lobs as a team.

The Mavericks may not be able to afford Harris. But if they can, they should absolutely do everything they can to do so as he could very easily be the missing piece that puts them over the top for a championship team.