NBA free agency 2023 is nearly underway and Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is busy once again.
The Pistons on Friday made a trade, acquiring Nets swingman Joe Harris and two future second-round picks, the Free Press confirmed through a league source. The picks are via Dallas in 2027 and Milwaukee in 2029. Detroit only sent back $110,000, the minimum required by the league. The person requested anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
Harris is on an expiring contract at $19.9 million this coming season, cutting the Pistons' cap space to about $8 million. The Pistons could make another player trade to alleviate their clogged depth chart.
The Pistons were set to enter the first week of free agency — when agents can negotiate with teams on behalf of players and agree to deals but players can't sign them until Thursday — beginning Friday at 6 p.m. with nearly $30 million in cap space, fifth-most in the league.
They will instead roll over flexibility into the summer of 2024, when they should have a greater understanding of the roster's strengths and weaknesses.
Harris, who turns 32 in September, twice led the NBA in 3-point shooting (2019 and 2021) and is a career 43.7% 3-point shooter in 488 games over nine seasons. He can shoot off movement and in catch-and-shoot situations, providing a proven target at 6 feet 6 for the Pistons' young backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
ANALYSIS:Projecting Detroit Pistons depth chart and roster needs entering NBA free agency
He bounced back last season after multiple foot surgeries limited him to 14 appearances in 2021-22. He played in 74 games in 2022-23, starting 33 and averaging 7.6 points on 42.6% shooting on 3s. He tailed off after the All-Star break, moving to the bench and averaging 5.4 points in 23 games over 13.6 minutes per game. He was a miserable 1-for-12 on 3s in 44 minutes in the playoffs for the Nets as they suffered a four-game sweep vs. Philadelphia.
Harris, a native of Washington state, was the No. 33 overall pick out of Virginia in the 2014 draft by Cleveland.
He has averaged 10.5 points per game in his career with 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists on an elite 61% Effective Field Goal Percentage (league average over that time is 52.8%). He adds shooting gravity, with 59.4% of his career shots coming from 3-point range, to a team that ranked 23rd in 3-point shooting percentage (35.1%) last season.
The Nets create a $19.9 million Traded Player Exception with the move, giving them flexibility to continue to remake their team this summer. Cameron Johnson is a restricted free agent and was thought to be near the top of the Pistons' wish list, but the Nets can match any offer sheet. The move takes the Pistons out of the running as a major player in free agency, unless they were to make a similar move as the Nets to dump salary.
The Pistons in last week's 2023 NBA draft added two players to the roster, selectingOvertime Elite wing Ausar Thompsonwith the No. 5 overall pick, andtrading up six spotsto No. 25 to draftHouston guard Marcus Sasser.
Free Press sports writer Omari Sankofa II contributed to this report.
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