Mavericks Reportedly Interested in Polarizing Forward in Free Agency

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off a season where they overachieved and made the NBA Finals against all odds. They eventually came up short against the Boston Celtics, but they now have a foundation they can build upon and win their first championship since 2011.

With that objective in mind, GM Nico Harrison and the front office need to nail their offseason decisions. They have limited cap space and financial flexibility, so they have no margin for error in their moves to improve the roster around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

One reported offseason target, however, will raise some eyebrows among Mavs fans. According to Chris Haynes of the Bleacher Report, Dallas is among teams interested in free agent forward Tobias Harris.

NBA News: Mavericks Interested in Tobias Harris

Harris is hitting unrestricted free agency after spending the last 5.5 years with the Philadelphia 76ers. The combo forward was constantly maligned by Sixers fans for failing to deliver after signing a five-year, $180 million deal back in 2019. Now, he is reportedly looking to "prove people wrong".

In his defense, Harris hasn't been bad during his Sixers tenure. He was just not worth his contract. He is an all-around forward who can do a little bit of everything. He doesn't miss any games and consistently scores 17-18 points a game on average efficiency. He would be a solid fit in Dallas as a third option next to Doncic and Irving.

The fascinating part of this report is that Dallas doesn't have the cap space to sign Harris outright unless the 31-year-old will take a significant pay cut to play for a contender. Considering that he made a ton of money in his career, perhaps he is prioritizing winning. Otherwise, the Mavericks would have to engineer a sign-and-trade scenario for Harris, potentially sending a combination of Maxi Kleber, Josh Green, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and draft capital to make the salaries match.

Harris is one of the better players the Mavericks can add this summer. If it is not going to cost much both in terms of salary or trade package, Dallas would be wise to consider him.

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