Delivering in a do-or-die Game 7 is the perfect time for a soon-to-be free agent to perform, and that's just what Tobias Harris did for the Detroit Pistons in a win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday that completed a remarkable 3-1 comeback for the No. 1 seed in the East.
Harris didn't just reiterate his importance to the Pistons with Sunday's performance, but may have also grabbed the attention of potential free agency suitors including the Golden State Warriors.
Tobias Harris may have caught Warriors attention at perfect time
Superstar guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 32 points and 12 assists in a 116-94 victory, yet it was Harris who got the home team started in the first-half with 19 points and four rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting in 18 minutes.
Having entered the game with a season-high 26 points recorded back in November, Harris delivered his first 30-point outing of the year at the ideal time. The veteran forward finished with exactly 30 on a highly efficient 11-of-18 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 from 3-point range, while also adding nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in the 22-point win.
Harris had averaged 20.2 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first six games,, but his Game 7 display was still astonishing considering he'd shot only 19.4% from 3-point range in the series as the Magic defense loaded up on Cunningham.
The playoffs are certainly a time where prospective free agents could make or lose money on their next deal, with Harris only elevating his value thanks to a clutch performance with the season on the line.
Warriors could show interest in Tobias Harris
It's hard to see Detroit letting Harris walk after a game like that, but the 33-year-old still appears like an interesting player to monitor ahead of free agency. For a team like Golden State who've lost Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to injury while also trading Jonathan Kuminga away mid-season, they could do worse than checking in on a 6'8" veteran forward like Harris to address that position.
After getting an inflated two-year, $52 million contract from the Pistons in 2024, could Harris be someone who now fits into the non-taxpayer mid-level exception this time around? That seems like a possibility, making him a theoretical option for the Warriors depending on what happens with Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis.
Reuniting Harris with Butler after the latter's departure from the Philadelphia 76ers could be a little awkward, but anything is really possible after seeing the Warriors trade for Chris Paul a few years ago.
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