Nets: Joe Harris may have just played his final game with Brooklyn
By Adam Weinrib
Joe Harris left the Nets after Game 2, and that may be the end of his Brooklyn career.
After the Brooklyn Nets lost Game 2 of their first-round series against the Raptors, leaving the court with a sour taste in their mouths due to a botched final possession, one key Net didn’t stop walking when he hit the locker room.
Joe Harris, who enters free agency when the 2020 season is completed, left the Bubble after the loss for a personal, non-medical matter.
Whether he returns next season in black and white is now up for debate, as his long-term future is dictated by a combination of thoughts, not simply Sean Marks’ stated preference.
Joe Harris has left The Bubble for a non-medical matter, the Nets say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 19, 2020
Per Bubble rules, Harris will have to miss Games 3 and 4 of Brooklyn’s series with the Raptors, at minimum, meaning a sweep will leave him out of action for the remainder of the season. Even if the Nets extend the action to five games, he likely won’t be able to return, either.
In an interview last week, Marks made his feelings very clear on Harris’ safe return, with plenty of rich teams likely looking to give him the “star role player” treatment.
"“Priority number one. It’s that simple, yeah,” Marks said, regarding re-signing Harris. “Joe, I think we’ve talked about plenty of times. We’re obviously very proud of where Joe has come from. And where he is today. And he still continues to get better. (He) Still wants to work on his craft. So, yeah, signing him and seeing him with this group will certainly be a priority for us.”"
If a deal does get done between the two parties, it will come on the heels of a monstrous restart (and first two games of the postseason).
Joe Harris in the bubble (8 games including playoffs):
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 19, 2020
19.1 PPG
5.9 RPG*
59.8 FG%
55.1 3P%
He had a career-high 15 rebounds today. pic.twitter.com/czsPMYJk6A
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot has earned the praise he’s received for his marksman work, but that’s because it was so surprising. Harris is more of a constant, and his performances have been just as impactful.
Whether someone else values him more, though, is yet to be seen. We don’t want this to be the end of Harris’ road, but we must face the reality that it could be.
