The Miami Heat don’t have much cap flexibility this offseason, but one of the best front office groups in the NBA has found ways to make magic during the roster-building summer months before.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report on June 29 named former Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris as Miami’s “top trade target” as the league’s free agency period opens, even though he is coming off of a five-year, $180 million deal in Philly.
The end to his run with the Philadelphia 76ers wasn’t pretty, but combo forwards who can, conceptually, hold up defensively, hit threes and generate their own scoring opportunities typically fetch waaaay more than the mini mid-level exception ($5.2 million).
Mind you, Miami might not even be able to offer Harris that much. Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin (player option) are set to enter unrestricted free agency. Keeping just Martin alone could vault the Heat into the second apron.
There is no way in hell that Harris’ stock has plummeted to the point of accepting a minimum deal. But hey, perhaps Miami can sell him on a fairly prominent role and the chance to rehab his longer-haul value. Failing that, if he’s willing to sign for the mini MLE, the Heat have avenues they can explore to ensure it’s available.
Miami bested Harris and the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games during the 2022 playoffs. The two teams met in the postseason only that single time during Harris’ six-year run in Philadelphia.
That said, the Heat often got the better of Harris when squaring off against the 76ers. Miami posted a record of 10-8 against Philly over the teams’ last 10 meetings, while Harris put up numbers well below his season/career averages in points and rebounds with the Sixers when matching up with the Heat.
In his last 10 games against Miami, which covers a duration stretching back to May 2022, Harris averaged just 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. The constant hype surrounding Philly due to the presence of Joel Embiid and a host of other high draft picks who arrived, faded and ultimately departed from the City of Brotherly Love (Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons, to name two) has also led to a rivalry between the two cities.
The Heat have gotten the better of the Sixers in that regard, earning three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals berths over the last five years, while the 76ers haven’t gotten out of the second round of the playoffs during that span.
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Despite the disdain Heat fans might have for the Sixers, their fans and their current and former players, it would be a mistake to dismiss Harris out of hand as a player who can help Miami — assuming the franchise can find some way to bring him into the fold despite a hellacious looking cap sheet heading into 2024-25.
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