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NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 potential destinations for Tobias Harris

By Bryan Toporek

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 5: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 5, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 5: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 5, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 25: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 25, 2019 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 25: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 25, 2019 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. New Orleans Pelicans

Thanks to new executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, the New Orleans Pelicans are now positioned to be major players on the free-agent market.

After trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers and salary-dumping Solomon Hill onto the Atlanta Hawks, the Pelicans are now projected to have more than $30 million in salary-cap space this summer. They can carve out room for Harris’ full $32.7 million starting max salary by waiving a few of their players with nonguaranteed contracts, such as Christian Wood ($1.6 million), Kenrich Williams ($1.4 million) and Dairis Bertans ($1.4 million).

The Pelicans may prefer use some of their cap room to take on bad contracts packaged with additional assets, but they’ll soon have to make decisions on extensions for Brandon Ingram (this summer) and Lonzo Ball (next summer). With the 2020 free-agent class looking sparse at the moment, snagging a big-name free agent now might not be such a bad idea.

Harris won’t turn 27 until mid-July, so the Pelicans would be paying him throughout most of his prime. He could play either forward position alongside Zion Williamson, and his 3-point shooting would make him a welcome addition to a lineup that will desperately need more long-range threats.

Convincing Harris to leave a ready-made contender in Philadelphia wouldn’t be easy, and the Pelicans might be better off spending some of their cap space on a stretch 5 such as Brook Lopez or Dewayne Dedmon. But if they decide to go big-game hunting this summer and strike out on all of the top targets, Harris would be a logical fit in New Orleans.

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