Tobias Harris was an unsung hero for the Pistons and their staggering single-season turnaround, writes Keith Langlois for NBA.com. Following an unceremonious departure from the Sixers, Harris’s second stint in Detroit helped unlock things for the young team, both on and off the court.
“His leadership is big-time. It’s not always vocal – most of the time it’s by example… Also, just on the court being able to settle us down, able to get him the ball, and he’s going to go get us points. There’s a lot I could say about Tobias, but I love playing with him. Super happy that he’s here. He’s made a huge impact on me and the group,” Cade Cunningham said about him.
Harris ended up playing the second-most minutes on the team, trailing only Cunningham. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 34.5% from three during the regular season and 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from three during the Pistons’ hard-fought six-game series against the Knicks.
Harris has one year and $26.6MM on his contract. The Pistons can choose to use that in a deal to upgrade their roster long-term, but given how well he fit with the team last year, they should be very content to let him have a similar season with them in 2025/26, says Langlois.
“*He is our safety blanket. He’s reliable. He’s dependable. He understands what needs to happen in the moment. He’s an unbelievable human being, an unbelievable teammate. He’s a fierce competitor. You want me to keep going?*” said head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
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The Pistons’ main focus this offseason should be on retaining or finding a way to replace the contributions of Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroder, writes Spotrac’s Keith Smith in his Pistons offseason preview. This will likely involve Detroit staying over the cap and offering Beasley most of their Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which would start somewhere around $14.1MM per year. They could then use Schroder’s Early Bird Rights to re-sign him to a deal around $42MM for three seasons. While the Pistons have been linked to free agent big men, Smith questions if it would be worth it if the cost is both of those free agents plus Tim Hardaway Jr., and concludes that it’s likely premature for an all-in move.
Detroit conducted pre-draft workouts with Jacksen Moni (NDSU), Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Jalon Moore (Oklahoma), and Johnell Davis (Arkansas) on Thursday, according to Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II (via Twitter). Moni ranks 87th on ESPN’s Top-100 board while Moore leads the group, coming in at 66th.
Sankara previously noted (via Twitter) that Andrew Carr from Kentucky worked out for the team on Tuesday. Carr ranks 100th on ESPN’s board after averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds as a fifth-year senior.