Devin Harris

Devin Harris
PG/SG - 6’3, 185lbs - 35 years old - 14 years of experience

Struggling all year for consistency and reliability from the backup point guard spot, and having given up on Emmanuel Mudiay (no one can say he was not given an opportunity on the court), the Nuggets traded for Devin Harris at the deadline, looking to him for that very same ball security and reliable results that they were after. And they got it.

Playing mostly as an off-guard for the Mavericks of late, mostly because of his chemistry with J.J. Barea, Harris played a bit more on the ball in Denver. He did not share the court with Nikola Jokic enough to outsource as much of the point guard responsibility as Jamal Murray does, and thus had more handling and perimeter passing to do. Nevertheless, with nothing spectacular in the way of results in this area, Harris did enough, solid and steady compared to Mudiay’s unreliability and streakiness.

Beyond that, Harris went back to what he does best - spot-up three-point shooting, baseline cuts, and sneaky points that takes advantage of defences not expecting him to do much off the ball. You’d think they would have noticed after 15 years, but nope. The sneak attack continues unabated.

It wasn’t all good. Harris’s own perimeter defence keeps getting worse and he did nothing to stop the leaky backcourt that had also played the team all year. Far too easy to beat. Nevertheless, by being decent on one end, he was an upgrade on Mudiay. Which is sad but true.

Player Plan: Expiring $4,402,546 contract. If he wants a minimum salary for next year, it’s a possibility, but it is not the priority. Aim higher.

Devin Harris
PG/SG, 6’3, 192lbs, 34 years old, 13 years of experience

Increasingly a three-point specialist who shot only 32.8% from three last season, Harris did contribute something as a bench scorer despite an injured toe that was supposed to keep him out. However, with his con-tract not guaranteed, with no need for both him and Barea, with his advancing age and declining play, this might be the end of his time in Dallas, simply because there is not much need to keep him. He is a back-court glue guy, but ultimately, he no longer does much.

Player Plan: Beginning the final year of his contract at $4,402,546, but only $1,339,262 of it is guaranteed. Waive and stretch - the cap space and roster spot are useful, whereas Harris’s play these days is marginal.

[...]

So saturated can this market be, however, that anyone can benefit. And even non-competitive teams have done so this summer. The Wizards may have facilitated their playoff push with the overly maligned Al Harrington, who if he can have a clean run of health, surely won’t have lost his ability to score. The Mavericks might have done it twice – in addition to the redeemable Blair, they also returned Devin Harris, whose star may have long burned out but who nevertheless will be one of the better backup point guards in the league. And the Lakers might have done it more than twice – Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, and even Shawne Williams have higher talent levels than their price tags indicate.

Because these games were both technically Nets home games - which seems strange, but is the price you pay for years of terrible attendance - the Nets brought all the entertainment. This meant the Nets dancers were here, this meant Nets announcer Gary Sussman was here, and this meant Marv Albert was here, bringing his new lighter hairpiece to a different continent. [Iron Eagle didn't make the trip.] The only people who weren't here were those recently traded for Deron Williams, namely Devin Harris and Derrick Favors. This probably suits both of them - Favors wouldn't have to spend a week having his name spelled with a U, and Harris wouldn't have to have a rematch versus Stuart Tanner.