Former Michigan State shooting guard Gary Harris could be drastically impacted by the latest trade that went down on Sunday afternoon in the NBA. He is entering his final year of a two-year contract with the Orlando Magic, and this is a team option year for the 11-year veteran.
On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies sent five-year veteran shooting guard Desmond Bane to the Magic in exchange for Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap, a deal that had first been reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
What does this mean for Harris? The 30-year-old shooter that received limited playing time this past season for a Magic team that was eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. He averaged just 3.0 points per game, making three starts in 48 total games played.
Harris signed a two-year, $15 million deal with Orlando, being paid $7.5 million this past season. He is entering a team option year, meaning that the Magic have the option to extend Harris for another season or not. The recent trade shows that this team is all in to win and may make even more moves.
Jeremy Brener of Orlando Magic On SI provided some context as to what the Magic might do moving forwards with their group of players coming up on their team option years.
“The Magic have four players (Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan, Cory Joseph, and Moe Wagner) on team options for the upcoming season, and will likely have to re-negotiate these contracts to get some flexibility for the roster,” Brener wrote. “The Magic could also consider these team options to utilize the players as trade pieces for potential deals that would help them acquire necessary offensive pieces.”
We know the Magic are considering trades for some of these players and did not include Harris in the recent trade that brings Bane to central Florida. Bane’s addition does not bode well for Harris’ future playing time and production for a team that is seeking a deeper run to the NBA Finals.
Robby Kalland of CBS Sports also gave his thoughts on what Orlando’s plans are this offseason. He was correct about trades being an option but also hinted at the possibility that someone like Harris may not return to the team in 2025-26.
“Orlando’s task this summer is to get more dynamic on the offensive side of the floor after struggling to score enough against Boston in a first round slugfest,” Kalland wrote. “Big changes would require trades, but they could decline an option or two to create some roster openings.”
There is a good chance the Magic decide to decline Harris’s player option, making him an unrestricted free agent. It would be up to another organization to sign him at that point and bring him on to be a locker room guy that would play anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes per game.
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