12:02pm: The Sixers and Clippers have both issued press releases officially announcing the trade.
“We are in the unique position to contend now and we think this trade positions us well for the postseason,” Sixers GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “Tobias is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA and possesses an innate ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor, while Boban and Mike provide valuable skillsets, size and depth to our team. All three players bring high character to our locker room and we are excited about their fit alongside Joel, Ben, Jimmy and our entire roster.”
7:10am: The Sixers and Clippers have agreed on a six-player deal that will send Tobias Harris to Philadelphia, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. In exchange, Los Angeles will bring back rookie Landry Shamet, two first-round picks and a number of other resources. Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had reached a deal.
In total, Philadelphia will acquire Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott while Los Angeles adds Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Philadelphia’s own 2020 first-rounder, Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-rounder, and a pair of future second-rounders. The two second-round picks will be the Pistons’ 2021 and 2023 selections, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As for the Sixers’ 2020 first-round pick, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports (via Twitter) that it will be lottery protected for three seasons, and would turn into a pair of second-round picks for 2023 and 2024 if it hasn’t conveyed after those three years.
It’s a massive swing by the 76ers, who appear to be going all-in on their current group after years of rebuilding. In Harris, they acquire a 26-year-old forward who is having the best year of his career. In 55 games for the Clippers, he averaged 20.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG with a shooting line of .496/.434/.877. All of those numbers are career highs.
Harris will join a starting lineup that already features Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, and J.J. Redick, giving the Sixers arguably the most talented starting five in the East. Meanwhile, Scott and Marjanovic will help replace some of the frontcourt depth Philadelphia has sacrificed by trading Chandler, Muscala, Dario Saric, and Robert Covington this season.
Harris is on an expiring contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Sixers intend to be “aggressive” in re-signing him to a new deal, sources tell Wojnarowski. The plan in Philadelphia is to secure the team’s Big 4 of Embiid, Butler, Simmons, and Harris long-term, regardless of luxury tax concerns, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
Of course, as Lowe observes in a follow-up tweet, having both Butler’s and Harris’ Bird Rights in free agency this offseason will give the Sixers some leverage negotiating with each player. If the franchise ultimately does re-sign both players and gives Simmons a maximum-salary extension, the Big 4 would likely cost approximately $120MM by the 2020/21 season, Bobby Marks of ESPN observes.
As for the Clippers’ side of the deal, while Harris had been great for the team since coming over in last year’s Blake Griffin blockbuster, he isn’t at the top of the organization’s wish list for 2019 free agency. As such, the club was comfortable giving up his Bird Rights in exchange for long-term assets.
By acquiring Shamet and two more first-round picks, including an unprotected 2021 Heat selection that could end up being pretty valuable, the Clippers have added more strong trade assets that could be used in pursuit of a star down the road.
Although the Clippers were one of the clubs on Anthony Davis‘ reported four-team wish list, L.A.’s front office didn’t make this trade with the primary objective to go after Davis, league sources tell Wojnarowski. Still, if the Clips pursue a player like AD or another star this week or in the offseason, their new assets will probably be more intriguing to a rebuilding team than Harris would have been.
Harris ($14.8MM), Marjanovic ($7MM), and Scott ($4.32MM) are all on expiring contracts, as are Chandler ($12.8MM) and Muscala ($5MM). However, the Clippers will actually add a little money to their books for 2019/20 by taking on Shamet, who is on his rookie contract and will earn just under $2MM in 2019/20.
Even after that modest addition to their cap, the Clippers will be in a good position to create the space necessary for at least one maximum-salary player in July. According to Marks, the Clippers should have about $37MM in room, and could increase that number to $49MM by waiving Avery Bradley. If they could find a taker for Danilo Gallinari, that figure would further increase to $70.7MM, which should be enough for two max slots.
The ramifications of this blockbuster deal on both conferences could be significant. In the West, the Clippers currently hold the No. 8 seed at 30-25, but the Kings and Lakers remain in hot pursuit of a playoff spot. Without Harris, the Clips’ playoff chances will dip, which in turn will reduce their odds of hanging onto their 2019 first-round pick — that selection is owed to the Celtics, but is lottery protected.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, there’s a clear group of four teams at the top of the postseason race, with the Sixers joining the Bucks, Raptors, and Celtics. It will be interesting to see whether any of those other contenders respond with moves of their own before Thursday’s deadline.
In his analysis of the trade, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps notes that Milwaukee may have already made its most significant move, acquiring George Hill earlier in the season, and Boston may save its assets for an offseason run at Davis. That leaves the Raptors as the most intriguing wild card over the next couple days. Toronto has been aggressive on several fronts, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Finally, one more cap-related note on this swap: The Clippers have multiple options for how to structure the deal, but one approach would see them create a $9.8MM traded player exception. Philadelphia won’t be able to generate a new TPE in the trade.
Austin Kent contributed to this story.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wow that’s a lot to give up for a guy about to be a free agent
Not really. Shamet can shoot but defense is bad. Chandler is made of glass and Muscala is a decent back up. Philly’s first round pick in 2020 will be 26th or higher so you have to get lucky there. The unprotected Miami pick in 2021 could be a very high pick but basically that’s what you are trading to get Tobias. Worth it? Hell yeah. Now resign him!!
Two firsts for a guy that’s gonna walk in 3 months is a lot to give up
one protected first which may end up being 2 seconds and one ? first for an allstar whos game fits right along side your mega stars in a LeBron jamesless eastern conference … seems like a good deal …. and they will probably resign him you don’t know he is walking.
He is going to be a FA, but his Bird rights have value. Scott is also an improvement over Muscala defensively and Boban is an improvement over Bolden against bigger centers (and if they need some bench scoring), so it’s not just Harris.
Great trade by sixers. Adds a all-star level talent to give them a strong starting 5. This trade puts them clearly towards top of the east.
let’s go @Sixers 3 great pick ups, we finally get a legit scorer/stretch 4 in Harris, a legit backup stretch 4 in Mike Scott, & a legit big center in Bobon I’m excited
Scott for Muscala in a Hawks special.
This has every sign of a Jerry West trade. You know, the ones the Lamers USED TO MAKE, before they kicked the logo to the curb.
Next Move…. Making a run at AD. Somehow moving Gallo, and the. Bringing in Kawai and KD or Klay (whichever one GS lets walk)
The Warriors won’t let either walk by choice, that’s for sure. If either leaves, it’s more than likely KD to NYK, or Klay to the Lakers. Doubtful either of them ends up on the Clippers. Kawhi though? That’s another story, he’s probably a Clipper next season.
And as for West, he resigned from the Lakers FWIW.
The Clippers likely don’t have enough assets to make a serious run at AD. I mean I don’t think they have enough to top the Lakers’ offer or a potential Celtics offer in the summer.
They likely won’t be able to move Gallo without attaching some sort of draft compensation him, draft compensation that would need to be a part of the AD deal. And then obviously the Clips don’t have enough cap room for 2 max free agents unless they can move Gallo. If the Clips did manage to somehow unload Gallo, they’d still have a nightmare of figuring out how to come close on matching salaries in an AD trade and then filling out their roster. Assuming all that happens, you’d have 3 guys on max contracts meaning they would need to fill their roster with whatever exceptions they might have and the veterans minimum.
Meh, Gallo seems pretty tradeable to me. He’s only got one year left on his contract after this year, and he’s productive. He’s not cheap, mind you, but a $22 million expiring has a value if you’re trying to get off a longer deal, and he can do a lot of things on the floor.
I’d bet Sacramento has interest in Gallo – Randolph for Gallo works without any picks changing hands.
Why would Sacramento want to take on an additional $22m for next year without getting something more? Sacramento has playoff aspirations, but Gallinari isn’t pushing them over the top. Gallo’s expiring has value nect year, but no team is going to rush to acquire him from the Clippers unless draft compensation is attached.
10-9-8-76ers. Put your hands together for Elton Brand
But they wouldn’t include Harris in a Kawhi trade? They got a good haul for 3 expiring deals. And Shamet is a good player hate to give up 3 years of him. Fills the holes for the Sixers though.
If you’re talking about including Harris in a Kawhi deal when he was still in San Antonio, I don’t think that would’ve mattered. The Spurs didn’t want to send him to another Western Conference team and likely didn’t want to do him any favors by sending him to LA.
I just remember the quotes – about we wouldn’t deal him b/c we want him to play alongside Kawhi.
So its two different scenarios. Before the season the Clippers had playoff aspirations and keeping Harris (while acquiring Kawhi) would’ve been the smart move. At this point, the Clippers are basically forfeiting their playoff aspirations and are looking to open up cap space. With Kawhi and AD being realistic targets for the Clippers they had to open up the cap space and acquire trade assets. They couldn’t afford to go to the offseason with Harris as a free agent and potentially let him walk for nothing.
I’m surprised the Clippers gave up Tobias Harris, as I thought they would try to keep him with whoever else they sign, assuming Kawhi on the wing, as that seemed like a really good fit for the team they were building, but they also got multiple useful assets, and if they fall out of the playoffs they keep their pick this year as well, so obviously a good move for them
I like it for Philly, but at the same time, I’m not so sure. They did add some depth at the 4, especially while Chandler would be injured, but b/c of Chandler’s defense, and how well they’ve played with him on the floor, as well as him not needing as many touches as Tobias Harris does, how much better are they this year really? And they gave up a lot, in my opinion, for that uncertainty, and the fact that Harris is a FA, and they will have to sign both him and Butler, which they’re reportedly cool with, but it’s still something to consider. If it works, then they could be really good, but I feel like they all kind of operate at the same spots on the floor. Simmons will have to sacrifice the most, in my opinion, although I had already suggested that before anyway with Butler there.
Bad trade by the Sixers. Half a season of a random player for 2 1st round picks? Crazy. They are on the road to becoming the Wizards or another team that never gets over the hump and has no assets left to do anything.
you’re crazy. the wizards? Embiid is a mega star and only getting better.
did you say a random player lol you know Tobias Harris is 25 years old and should have made the allstar team this year right, he will be signed and 1 of them 1st round picks is going to be in the late 20s and the other we don’t know about because it’s the Heat pick in 21 & we still have more assets left & don’t compare us to the Wiz smh
I think this gets them over the hump. What more could they do? I doubt they get a player as good as Harris with either of those picks. Their window is the next 3-4 year which they can conceivably keep this core for that long. I say go for it.
How do you figure? Harris is easily an All Star in the East and gives the team more assurance. They already said they will spend the money to keep Harris and Butler, the way I see if 76ers just made sure they are a top three team in the east for the next four years.
It’s a lot for the Sixers to give up for 3 expiring contracts but it definitely improves the roster in the short term and better positions them to challenge Millwakee and Boston.
How quickly you forget that they got spanked by the Raptors last night, and that was with Greg Monroe playing extended minutes.
I didn’t forget. They were missing Wilson Chandler and JJ Redick in that game which you may have forgot or just didn’t know. If anything the loss proved the Sixers need help from the bench (especially with 3 other roster spots taken up by injured players like Smith, Patton, and Fultz) which they just got in this trade. I still expect them to be active on the buyout market to fill out the rest of the roster but this is a good start.
Yeah but none of the sixers roster play good d.
None of the Sixers play good D? That’s ridiculous. Embiid and Butler are elite defenders. Simmons has been a well above average after the first month of this season when he was terrible.
Do you mean nobody on their bench plays good D? Because that was 100% true before this trade, which helps them by adding two guys who can defend and getting rid of their worst perimeter defender. (I love Landry, but his defense is awful thus far.) Against big centers, Boban is a huge help off the bench vs. Bolden and Muscala couldn’t defend anybody whereas Scott is okay at defense.
As a Celtics fan this is a little scary! As long as Embiid and Butler stay healthy….they’re going to be a wagon!!
Butler and Harris certainly will make it harder for Boston to do what they did defensively in the playoffs last year.
All those picks…they must be getting ready to make an offer for AD…
Do picks grow on trees now, holy smokes. Team are handing them out like they’re mints lately.
This off-season that everyone has been making cap space for is going to be a dud for free agency. Kawhi and KD might be only guys to change teams. I don’t see KD actually leaving, especially not to go to the Knicks
Imagine if Kawhi and KD stayed. Knicks and Clippers would be real lost.
These teams have to take that chance. Better to have that cap space and missing on signing these big free agents because they choose to resign rather than to not have cap space and being forced to scramble and overpay on selling assets to create cap space. Worst case scenario, both the Clippers and Knicks can use their cap space to take on bad contracts while grabbing some young players/picks while trying to set themselves up for the following offseason’s free agency. If both teams miss out on the big free agents, they can still redeem themselves if they smartly handle their cap situation.
I think the Clippers will use some of those picks to help move Bradley and G. They are really banking on players coming there next year. If nobody shows up, they could be in trouble.
The Sixers gain flexibility IMO. Either they sign Butler and Harris and go over the cap and sit JJ down and say “look, we gave you how much these past two years? Now take a pay cut and stick around so we can fill our bench with something” or they don’t sign either and have the space to go after whoever leaves GS whether it’s KD, Klay, or Draymond. I don’t like Draymond, but that’s why he would fit well in Philly…his attitude and physicality. I would love to see JJ stay, but if he goes then we need Fultz to get healthy or get going and bring in a shooting guard. And yes I know Draymond isn’t a free agent, but the only way Klay is staying is if he gets a max contract. If KD somehow stays and Klay, then Green is the odd man out.
Draymond Green would be a terrible fit next to Ben Simmons. Neither are good shooters so you’re clogging up space for Simmons/Embiid to work in the paint. Green would bring good defense but you would lose most of his playmaking ability by pairing him with Simmons. While Green isn’t ball dominant, his playmaking abilities stand out more in Golden State because he’s surrounded by shooters. The 76ers would have to start two bonafide shooters alongside that potential trio and even that might not be enough. Opposing teams would just dare Green or Simmons to hit outside shots as there would be little floor spacing if both were on the court at the same time.
JJ’s salary has no effect on their ability to sign other players (other than as it pertains to the owners’ willing to spend money). They have his bird rights, so they can re-sign him for any amount even if they go over the cap. As long as they sign their outside FAs before they re-sign JJ, Butler and Harris (and anybody else they are re-signing), they can pay those guys up to the max allowed based on service time.
Also, you are insane if you think the Warriors are going to trade Draymond this offseason.
This trade does a lot for that starting unit, but they have now sacrificed their back court depth to fill the front court depth they gave up for butler. I have a feeling the sixers aren’t done yet. I wouldn’t mind if they added Ross or Ariza. They will probably be a hot destination on the BO market now too, come on Wes Matthews
I just don’t see this as a huge back court hit. The gap between Landry and Furkan is less than the gap between Harris and Chandler. Heck, I’d say Scott is about as much better than Muscala as Landry is better than Furkan.
The roster seems clearly better today (even assuming Chandler is healthy). The only real downside, if any, is longer term.
I think this gets them over the hump. What more could they do? I doubt they get a player as good as Harris with either of those picks. Their window is the next 3-4 year which they can conceivably keep this core for that long. I say go for it.
lol @ philly overspending on mediocrity. too bad butler didn’t fit, or mng’t wouldn’t of needed to make this trade.
Dope
Sixers fill their weakest spot in their starting lineup with probably the best player that I thought might be available via trade, and they get a legit backup to Embiid along with another solid front court player to come off the bench. Both Moose and Chandler have both been barely adequate (for Chandler that might actually be too kind of an assessment). Philly’s own 1st is likely end of the 1st round and Miami’s pick in 2021 may not be all that high considering I don’t expect them to bottom out to top of the lottery levels.
My only regret is that they couldn’t deal Fultz instead of Shamet. They’ll need Fultz salary after this year, and I think he’s just generally a lost cause at this point (for Philly at least; maybe a change of scenery is what he needs?). Losing Shamet makes them even weaker on the bench at SG. Overall, I’m happy with this. Now let’s look for some depth in the buyout market.
That Miami pick is suuuuuuper valuable.
Gotta wonder what LA is going to do with all these assets they’re acquiring. Might be worth swinging for AD this summer.
I don’t hate this deal for the Sixers. An interesting first year as a GM for Brand, too. Already swinging two huge trades.
Initially I was hesitant to like this trade. But given they have Harris’ Bird Rights, I am on board. This would put the window at 5 years for Embiid, Harris, Butler, and Simmons. In the East, that could be enough.
The question or elephant in the room is Fultz. Do they get him on the floor this year and see what they have? Do they deal him draft night? Do they decline his 20-21 option and use him as an expiring contract during an in-seasom trade? Even if he cant shoot, his slashing ability is well above average, he needs to finish better to stick with just PG and slashing skills.
They still have one open roster spot. Bolden and Boban make Amir more likely to be dealt if he accepts. They can still make a move with Korkmaz, Patton, and Amir. Back-up 2G defender is still a need. Korkmaz’ d is suspect. Brewer could be that player though. Maybe a trade for Garrett Temple. Or scour the BO market.
Amir has veto tho…doubt he’s going anywhere
Brewer will be back imo
Wes matthews would be nice if/when he gets bought out
“Amir more likely to be dealt if he accepts.” – Me, 59 minutes ago.
Matthews has always graded out as a negative defender. Brewer is a much better defender. I wouldn’t say no to Matthews, but he isn’t locking anyone down.
Haha i missed it
58 minutes ago.
Sal good. Idk if he would accept. Hes in like a Elton Brand Juwan Howard role now. But a lot younger. There for leadership etc.. He has the 3rd most career playoff starts on the roster. Patton and Korkmaz are dead men walking bc their options were declined. Wouldn’t be surprised if the waived Patton to make a move in BO. 1 more day tho, getting my popcorn ready.
Is Amir Johnson really vetoing a deal when he’s behind Embiid,Harris,Boban,Scott,& Bolden on the depth chart.His 9 minutes a night probably just disappeared.
He wouldn’t be too high on teams BO list tho. DJ, Lopez, ZBo, Dedmon, and a few other bigs could end up BO. May end up with scraps on another team anyway.
He has a minimum salary,and he’s a veteran presence that’s not gonna really gonna add to anybody’s win column.He might not need to be bought out,if he was to be traded.6ers should try to send him to Atlanta or Phoenix with some 2nd rd’rs,for Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
Tob and Bob show is moving to Philly! These dudes are hilarious together.
Philly gave up value, but, assuming they’re vested in using Simmons as a two way PG, it’s hard to think of a better last piece to their starting 5 than Harris. Some big financial decisions this summer, but they have legitimate championship aspirations if they can get this group to click.
For the Clips, the old professor, Jerry West, enters phase II of his master plan. I think the Clips make some other moves before the deadline.
Well West is very thin now on the frontline, but then… Do they want to tank anyway to preserve the pick?
This trade seems all about getting AD. Ballmer thinks big. The summer offers for him may not be as high as the winter offer, esp if Ainge does not offer Tatum.
I’m sure AD is on his mind, as are KL and KD. But the Clips are being built “old school” so, unlike teams engaged in modern rebuilds, they don’t need to rely on one FA player or even one FA class, or a couple of tanking generated draft picks.
What I can’t understand is why they don’t play Simmons at the 4. He’s obviously the point guard, but best defending bigger players and they could start him and Embiid plus three shooters. What they now have is 3 poor shooters plus JJ and Tobias. They will be good for sure, but that lane will be clogged.
If Embiid had room to operate his numbers would be a lot better and he’d be the most dominant player we’ve seen since Shaq, with all respect to Tim Duncan. As it is, he has to throw bricks from the three point line to stop his defender sagging off too much, and when he does head to the block he’s doubled if not tripled on every post move.
I’m hoping they flip Butler for better shooters.
1.5 days left to do so I think, and prob a late start.
Agree Simmons should not be the PG… but that looks like water around the dam, at least until they get it extended ;)
This trade is like a double whammy of bad news for the Raptors. It makes the 76ers more formidable in this season’s playoffs and frees up even more cap space for the Clippers to go after Kawhi and another big-name free agent next season. It’ll be interesting to see what the Raptors do before tomorrow’s deadline.
Double bonus for the Sixers. Kawhi out of the East benefits them.