Tobias Harris crazy like a fox to bet on himself, reject Clippers offer
Tobias Harris and Clippers can’t agree on terms, and the veteran will bet on himself and test free agency next year.
Add Tobias Harris to the long list of free agents in 2019, as word broke Sunday evening that the 6’9″ forward turned down an $80 million extension from the Los Angeles Clippers to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, according to David Aldridge.
As a free agent, Harris should command plenty of attention from anyone looking to add a reliable inside-outside scoring forward. He averaged over 18.5 points per game last year and is a 35% career 3-point shooter.
But $80 million seems like a more than fair deal for a guy who lacks the ability to consistently defend, especially with a free agent pool as loaded as next years. Tobias Harris is betting on himself.
Clippers forward @tobias31 turns down $80 million extension offer from team, per sources. Amicable discussions. But he’ll play out final year of his current deal and be UFA next summer, when he’d be eligible for 5 yrs/$188M max from Clips or 4/$145.5 elsewhere.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 22, 2018
The bad news is, it’s probably a bad bet. In a free agent class including Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, and Kevin Durant, among many others, Harris may be forgotten.
He simply hasn’t shown the ability to be a star player in the NBA, something someone obviously looking for a long-term deal in excess of $20 million per season definitely should have shown before their seventh season.
We saw what happened to guys who bet on themselves this offseason. Clint Capela is stuck in restricted free agency hell, still with no official offers outside of Houston after assuming he’d receive a max deal. Jabari Parker never found the long-term deal he was looking for and could be out of the job after just one year in Chicago if he doesn’t perform.
Even All-NBA center DeMarcus Cousins will be on a one-year, $5 million deal with the Warriors after turning down $20 million a year to stay in New Orleans.
By no means is Harris a bad player, but there’s no reason to believe he’ll see the money he was offered by the Clippers a year from now.