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 source. The picks are via Dallas in 2027 and Milwaukee in 2029. 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 $10 million now. Another player trade would not surprise since the Pistons have a clogged depth chart.
The Pistons entered free agency which begins at 6 p.m. — when agents can negotiate with teams on behalf of players and agree to deals — with roughly $30 million in cap space, fifth most in the league.
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 over 488 games and 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.
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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, averaging 7.6 points on 42.6% shooting on 3s. 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 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 the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 35.1%.
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 have to dump salary.
The Pistons in last week’s 2023 NBA draft selected Overtime Elite wing Ausar Thompson with the No. 5 overall pick, and traded up six spots to No. 25 to draft Houston guard Marcus Sasser.
Free Press sports writer Omari Sankofa II contributed to this report.
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