Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Veteran forward Tobias Harris, who helped the Detroit Pistons build the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference last season, is reportedly headed to the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent. ESPN was the first outlet to report on Wednesday that Harris, 33, had agreed to a two-year, $31 million free agent deal with the young Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama.
Harris spent the past two seasons in Detroit, his second stint with the team, and played a key role in a turnaround that saw them win 60 regular season games and win a playoff series for the first time since 2008. In San Antonio he’ll be joining a team trying to return to the NBA Finals after falling to the New York Knicks in the championship series. The news came on the first full day of the NBA’s free agency negotiation period.
Related news
No contracts can be officially signed until July 6, but reports of verbal agreements were already rife. The ultimate destination of superstar LeBron James remained a focus of speculation after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer told the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday he would leave after eight seasons with the team and seek a free agent contract to play an unprecedented 24th season elsewhere.
As pundits pondered the pros and cons of possible James destinations — including his former teams Cleveland and Miami or a move to play with Stephen Curry at Golden State — the Lakers made a flurry of moves as they build around 27-year-old Slovenian star Luka Doncic. The Lakers have reportedly acquired shot-blocking center Walker Kessler in a trade with Utah for two first-round draft picks.
Kessler, 24, was limited to five games last season because of a shoulder injury. But the 7-foot-2-inch (2.18m) big man averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds the previous season, and his 4.6 offensive rebounds per game led the league in 2024-25. Soon after news of the deal surfaced, the Lakers reportedly agreed terms with three free agents: big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, guard Quentin Grimes, and guard Colin Sexton.
In other deals reported Wednesday by multiple media outlets, the Boston Celtics acquired free agent center Mitchell Robinson, fresh off a championship run with the New York Knicks. Free agent guard Mike Conley is also reportedly heading to Boston, and free agent guard Norman Powell — who averaged 21.7 points per game in an All-Star season with Miami, has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls.
© 2024 AFP
