Former Tennessee Vol Tobias Harris has found a new home after six seasons in Philadelphia.
Harris is heading to the Detroit Pistons on a two-year, $52 million deal according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday morning.
The former Vol is returning to the Motor City for his second stint with the Pistons. Harris was traded to Detroit during the 2015-2016 season, was there for one full season from 2016-2017, and then was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2017-2018 season.
Rumors circulated of Harris’s impending departure after the Sixers fell to the Knicks in six games in the first round of the playoffs. Despite regular season success alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Harris and the Sixers just couldn’t find any playoff success as Philadelphia now looks down a new road. The Sixers agreed to terms with free agent Paul George on Monday in replacement of Harris.
This is the sixth team switch for the 31-year-old who will turn 32 on July 15. Harris was originally the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after one year with Tennessee in college. Harris started 33 of 34 games for the Volunteers during the 2010-2011 season and averaged 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game during that year.
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Harris played in and started 70 games for Philadelphia this past season and averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. While some have knocked Harris for falling off as he now plays in his 30s, all three categories were above his career average last season.
The Pistons, who aren’t desperately trying to make a playoff run, now get a veteran player to usher in a new era of Detroit basketball. From an off-the-court perspective, Detroit parted ways with General Manager Troy Weaver in May and fired head coach Monty Williams in June. On the court, though, the Pistons added G-League forward Ron Holland and UConn shooting guard Cam Spencer in the draft to link up with Detroit’s previous Top Five picks: Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, and Cade Cunningham.
Tobias Harris is one of seven former Vols who look to be rostered heading into next season. Former Vol Admiral Schofield signed with ASVEL Basket in the French League but was replaced with 17th overall draft pick Dalton Knecht on Tennessee’s list. If all stays the same heading into next season, it will be back-to-back years with seven NBA players for Tennessee’s resume. Former Vol Jaden Springer is a reigning NBA Champion after winning the title with Boston this spring.
Tennessee Basketball’s final game this past season was in an Elite Eight loss from Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
