Detroit Pistons: Competition Expected Between Elijah Harkless And Gary Harris

Over the course of the summer, there were two main hallmarks of the Detroit Pistons’ offseason: remaining contractually flexible while adding perimeter shooting to the squad. Now three months in, Detroit has succeeded on each of those fronts, and this pragmatism will allow for Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon to operate both quick and loose when the time comes. 

In terms of Detroit’s dynamic contract structure, maintaining that quality was a key sticking point in the Pistons moving on from Tobias Harris and re-routing to John Collins. Of course, Collins is several years younger and has a better track record of consistently shooting the three-ball, but he was also willing to agree to a deal with only the first year guaranteed out of three in total. Harris, on the other hand, was not willing to sign onto the two-year version of that deal, so the longtime vet ended up joining the San Antonio Spurs in free agency. 

But from a larger perspective, the Pistons made several moves this offseason that could lend themselves to further roster flexibility. As part of the Caris LeVert trade, the Pistons received Taurean Prince and Gary Harris in return from the Milwaukee Bucks, though that deal was later included as part of a massive six-team trade that rocked the league after the draft. 

From a stylistic fit standpoint, Prince is a better natural fit on the Pistons out of those two players. While Harris is pretty nailed on as an off-ball guard, Prince can be used at multiple positions on the wing while playing spot duty at the four if need be during small-ball situations. On top of that dynamic quality, Prince has already participated in offseason workouts with Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson, so it is clear that he’s working to fit in with his new Central Division teammates already. 

Harris, on the other hand, has seen his playing time diminish over the past several seasons, and it’s possible that he is moved before the season begins. 

If that happens, the transaction would largely be indicative of the Pistons’ confidence in free agent signing Elijah Harkless. Originally brought in on a two-way deal, Harkless has NBA experience over the last two seasons with the Utah Jazz, and he was exceedingly productive with the team’s G-League franchise during that same timespan. 

Though Harkless is primarily lauded for his on-ball defensive ability, the 6-3 guard out of UNLV is a talented shooter who lit up the G-League with 40-point performances on several occasions, which would mean that he could contribute in some of the same areas as Harris but as a younger player on a deal with more flexibility. 

Since the Pistons picked up point guard Ebuka Okorie in the first round, Detroit is more than secure with their depth at the one, so Harris and Harkless would theoretically be competing for third-string shooting guard minutes with Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Joe already entrenched further up the depth chart. Either way, the Pistons strategically filled their roster over the summer with reliable shooters on team-friendly deals, which would empower Langdon to make a decision if one is needed down the line.