San Antonio made its first splash of free agency with the signing of Tobias Harris to a 2 year, $31 million deal.
After honing in on sizing up throughout the lineup in the NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs continued to focus on bulking up with their first notable free agent pickup.
Veteran forward Tobias Harris inked a two year, $31 million deal with San Antonio following a split from the Detroit Pistons, where he had spent the last two seasons.
Reports surfaced early Wednesday that Harris would move on from the Pistons with initial thoughts pointing to the Spurs as a potential landing spot. All speculation would be removed within minutes after an update confirmed that Harris and San Antonio had reached an agreement.
While the move brought attention to the team, what can the Spurs expect to gain from Harris on the court next season?
Despite laying claim to one of the league's most dominant big men in Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio struggled to put size around him in the frontcourt, with the power forward slot being a particularly weak point in that regard.
Harris has spent 15 years in the NBA, most of which were as a power forward, and has the ability to be a scoring force inside as well as a defensive and rebounding helper to Wemby.
In his latest two seasons in Detroit, Harris averaged around 13 points, five rebounds and two assists per game in each year, showing his skills are still very much in tact as his career keeps extending.
Outside of the obvious boost that Harris gives in the lineup, he easily becomes one of the oldest pieces on the Spurs roster. For a team that has the talent to compete year in and year out at the highest level in the NBA, San Antonio's young core lacks the tough experience needed to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
At least that was the case just this past season against the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
With the Spurs selecting talented, young prospects in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. in the draft, Harris can be a pivotal part of developing them into the future of the position in San Antonio.
Those that share a position with Harris are not the only ones that can be mentored by Harris, as his wealth of experience across over a decade with several postseason stints sprinkled in can be passed along to every part of the youthful Spurs.
Free agency is just getting started for San Antonio, but the first big splash signing of Harris shows that the Spurs are still very focused on sizing up and getting wiser ahead of a year with lofty aspirations.
