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2024 Free Agents - Gary Harris

Summary
Harris had his best seasons from 2016-2018. During that two season stretch, Harris shot 41% from three and finished really well at the rim, making him one of the most efficient wings in the NBA. In the following years Harris seemed to lose his touch from outside, consistently shooting in the low thirties from three and struggling to finish at the rim as well. However, he has recovered a bit since joining the Magic, hitting 39% from three while also finishing decently at the rim and overall just looking more spry than he had previously.

Harris probably isn't a starting-level wing on a good team, but I think he can be a solid rotation piece. He has solid play-making skills as a secondary option, and can get to the rim attacking off-the-dribble when attacking closeouts.

Harris is a solid wing defender, and getting him back was one of the underrated reasons for why the Nuggets were able to come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs in 2020, since they really just couldn't stop the Jazz in the early parts of the series. He's not the biggest guy but has the size to guard multiple positions.

Harris will be almost 30 years old as a potential free agent in 2024, so he's young enough that teams shouldn't be too worried about significant age-related regression quite yet, but it could be a worry on the back end of a long-term contract.
 
Cap Considerations
Harris will be an unrestricted free agent with an $19.5 million cap hold and full Bird Rights, meaning the Magic will have no restrictions on re-signing him. As Harris's cap hold exceeds the salary he will get in free agency, his cap hold is not really relevant. If the Magic re-sign Harris, his cap hold will be replaced by his starting salary, cutting into the Magic's cap space.

If Harris is brought back by the Magic on a multi-year contract they could benefit from frontloading his contract, as it could give them additional flexibility in the future. Doing so would cut further into their cap space though.

For other teams, if Harris demands a starting salary of more than the full $12.9 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him, unless a sign-and-trade is worked out. It's possible that Harris could be had for the full MLE or slightly less.

Potential Teams: Magic, Lakers, Kings, Hornets, Timberwolves

Predicted Contract: 3-year, $42 million with the Magic

Actual Contract: 2-year, $15 million (2nd year team option) with the Magic

Harris is one of many two-way wings that did worse than I expected in free agency, signing what I believe is a steal of a deal for the Magic.

Last updated: 7/14/2024

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