Detroit might already regret the giant Tobias Harris contract after brutal start to the season

For the first time in five years, Tobias Harris is not a Philadelphia 76er. The mere mention of his name no longer makes Philadelphia sports fans cringe as they think about the limitations of having a player like him on a max contract. Harris is in a new —but familiar — environment this season with the Detroit Pistons. He played for the Pistons from 2015 to 2018 before being a part of the Blake Griffin trade where he was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers, then eventually traded to the Sixers.

While Harris' time with the Sixers ended on a sour note—he scored zero points in their Game 6 season-ending loss to the New York Knicks last season—there was optimism about his return to Detroit. Harris was regarded as a veteran who brings a high level of professionalism to the locker room which could help this rebuilding Pistons team.

The Pistons were also desperately in need of shooting and tolerable NBA players on the court. Harris provided all of that, and the Pistons had cap space that wasn't all that attractive to other free agent targets, so they brought Harris home on a two-year deal worth $52 million. As many things go with the contemporary version of Harris, it sounds reasonable, until you see him play.

Tobias Harris' brutal start to the season could make the second team in a row regret signing him to an expensive deal

Through his first two games with the Pistons, Harris is averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game - far below his career averages of 16.3 and 6.2 respectively. He's shooting a paltry 41 percent from the field, 33 percent from three, and has taken only two free throws so far. Sure, he's an improvement on Chimezie Metu who played for the Pistons last season and is currently playing in EuroLeague, but if Harris keeps this level of play up that might be where he's heading after this contract too. It would give him a chance to reunite with his best friend, Boban Marjanovic.

Fortunately for the Pistons, Harris' poor play is somewhat desirable for them. Detroit does not expect to be a competitive team, and they don't want to be. The 2025 NBA Draft Class is loaded and the Pistons owe their own first-round pick to the New York Knicks, but it's protected 1-13. As long as the Pistons stay in the lottery - which they should - they keep their first-round pick and increase their odds of landing Cooper Flagg, Nolan Traore, or any of the other highly-touted prospects in this class. Harris' start to the season is likely frustrating to the fans, but to the front office it might be exactly what they wanted, or something they're fully comfortable turning a blind eye to.