Could Joe Harris be returning to the team where it all started? There’s a chance. According to Cleveland’s beat reporter Chris Fedor, the Cavaliers might be interested in acquiring Harris from the Brooklyn Nets prior to the trade deadline.
That speculation isn’t a complete surprise, considering that it’s been known for almost a month now that Brooklyn has thrown Harris’ name out in trade conversations.
The known perimeter shooter went down with a left ankle injury on Nov. 14 against the Thunder and hasn’t played in a game since then. He underwent surgery on Nov. 29, and according to Steve Nash, he’s a couple of weeks away from returning to the team.
Meanwhile, Cleveland has been a surprise in the Eastern Conference so far this season. The Cavaliers are 21-17 and in sixth place, and adding a shooter like Harris would give the team an extra push.
Brooklyn has ‘expressed a surprising willingness’ to discuss Joe Harris in trade talks, per @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/xBtgsdyJrt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 14, 2021
Cleveland is interested in trading for Brooklyn Nets shooter Joe Harris.
We are almost exactly a month away from the Feb. 10 trade deadline, and there’s a possibility that the Nets could part ways with Harris.
Is his time with Brooklyn coming to an end? Harris is the lone player left from the Nets’ impressive playoff push in 2018-19. For a team that’s gone through several changes in recent years, the one thing that’s remained the same is Harris.
All good things must come to an end, though. And if Cleveland does successfully execute a trade for the 30-year-old, what might the Nets be able to acquire in return?
On the topic of the Cavaliers being buyers ahead of the deadline, Fedor said:
"“I think if you look around the roster, the front office still believes that there are some ancillary pieces that probably have some value. They also have a first-round pick that they may be more willing to give up because it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a high lottery pick the way that many people predicted coming into this year.”"
Cleveland possesses young stars that have been key to the team’s start to the season, which means that the organization likely won’t be willing to let go of them. However, the Cavaliers could be shopping Lauri Markkanen. The seven-foot big man could give Brooklyn depth down low. If trade talks involving Harris increase, Markkanen is a player that Nets fans should keep their eyes on as a potential starting point. Plus, a first-round pick doesn’t sound too terrible given the amount of assets that were surrendered for James Harden. The Nets need to replenish their draft selections at some point.
From a financial standpoint, getting Harris’ contract off the books could help with Kyrie Irving and Harden extensions when the time comes … or at least building around Kevin Durant.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, losing Harris wouldn’t help the offensive issues that Brooklyn’s been faced with, but with the return of Irving for road games, the Nets have been granted a huge scoring boost.
In theory, that increases the probability of trading Harris. But as of right now, there’s no way to know for sure what Marks and the organization are planning to do.
Could Brooklyn soon be saying goodbye to its best 3-point shooter in franchise history?
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