How much does Tobias Harris signing move the needle for Pistons?

The Detroit Pistons have had a busy offseason and are making strides to improve the team. In late May, Trajan Langdon was introduced as the franchise’s president of basketball operations. Then, J.B. Bickerstaff was hired to replace Monty Williams as head coach.

Detroit followed that by locking up the future and extending Cade Cunningham’s contract with a five-year extension. The Pistons also added another big name to their coaching staff, reportedly bringing in former LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton as lead assistant.

Back on the court, Detroit was able to lure Tobias Harris away from Philadelphia, signing the veteran to a two-year deal worth $52M. This will be Harris’ second stint as a Piston, playing with the team from 2015-17. But just how much does this move the needle in Detroit?

Other than Cunningham’s extension, Harris is the Pistons’ biggest free-agent signing. He will be raking in $25.3 million next season. Usually, that type of contract and standing on an NBA team comes great responsibility and expectation.

While Harris’ signing might not ring bells across the league, some are excited about what the former 76er brings to this Pistons roster.

"Tobias Harris is really nice … He can shoot. He be, what, 37 from the three? All type of crazy s---. His numbers be there for the money," Jeff Teague said on his "Club 520 Podcast."

While expectations for Harris to perform will be high, the same cannot be said about the team. Detroit was victorious in just 14 games last season and won only 17 the previous year. Cracking 30 wins next season would be a major improvement.

Although making the playoffs (and potentially advancing) is the goal, it’d be crazy to expect that type of turnaround from this organization. Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019, which is the last time it even finished a season at .500.

Harris should add a scoring punch to the lineup as a player who averaged 17.2 points per game last year. But the jury is still out on whether he’ll be able to help elevate these young Pistons to a playoff berth. 

Simply making the play-in tournament would be something to celebrate, since they’ve yet to qualify in its first four years of existence.