The Brooklyn Nets were the favorites to win the NBA title at the start of the playoffs mainly because they had three of the best players on the planet in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Another reason why the Nets were the favorites was because they had one of the best shooters in the league in Joe Harris.
But in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Harris was a shell of himself. Predictably, some Nets fans emotionally reacted to the second round exit by wanting Harris traded immediately. Those fans have a valid reason to be frustrated with him. Harris shot 1-for-11 in Game 3, 2-for-11 in Game 5, and 3-for-10 in Game 7. He scored three, five, and nine points in those games, respectively. Those numbers are not reflective of the player who led the league in three point percentage during the regular season.
“…I’m disappointed. I wish that I played better. There’s a lot of things where you can go back, be a tough critic on yourself, be judgmental. But at the same time, you’ve got to bring more to the table than just one thing. Overall, I wish I would’ve shot more efficiently, help alleviate some of the pressure other guys were facing, but this is the situation that we’re in… frankly, had I played better, we might be in a little bit of a different spot.”
-Joe Harris, after Brooklyn’s Game 7 overtime loss to Milwaukee
However, the Nets still should not trade Harris right now.
Trading at the Lowest Value
When teams look to trade players, they want to strike a deal with another team when the player is hot because they usually will get more in return. As you can tell from his second round numbers, Harris didn’t play anywhere near where he has played in the last few seasons. Therefore, Brooklyn would not be getting the return they deserve based on a player of his caliber.
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Free Agency, NBA Draft Need to Play Out
Obviously, the season hasn’t ended yet. Even after it has, the NBA Draft and free agency will need to occur before the Nets (and other teams) would even consider any deals for Harris. Teams could acquire a sharpshooter through free agency or the draft and will no longer need a guy like Harris on the roster.
Brooklyn Trusts Harris
The Nets likely won’t trade Harris at all. There’s a reason why Harris continued playing essentially the entire game when the season was on the line on Saturday night: The Nets believe in him. In this year’s playoffs, Harris showed how much of a weapon he can be when playing off of Durant, Harden, and Irving. In Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Harris combined to score 32 points. If we go back to the first round against the Boston Celtics, Harris had double-digit scoring in four out of the five games when the “Big 3” were healthy.
Harden said after Game 7 that it would have been a different story if his hamstring was healthy and Irving had not sprained his ankle. It also would have been a different story for Harris, as well. The former three-point contest champion flourished when he didn’t have as much attention on him behind the arc. There is no doubt that Brooklyn believes he can be valuable for them next year when the superstars are all healthy again.
The “Trade Joe Harris” group is reacting emotionally right now, but will realize how important Harris is to the team next season when emotions are not as high.
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Main Image Credit: via Stabroek News
One Response
He sucks. The longer the nets wait the lower his trade value becomes.