The Sixers need to hang on to Tobias Harris — at least through the end of the season

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — We keep asking: How much longer will Tobias Harris remain a 76er?

If the Sixers are wise, the answer is at least through the end of the season.

The 30-year-old forward is under contract through the 2023-24 season. However, his name has repeatedly been brought up in trade discussions over the last couple of years. And that could continue ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline as teams look to upgrade their rosters and slash salaries.

But at this point, the Sixers will be hard-pressed to find someone able to do what Harris provides. The squad is finally starting to live up to the NBA-championship-contender hype. And Harris’ ability to adjust to his ever-changing role is a reason for that.

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The Sixers defeated the Sacramento Kings, 129-127, Saturday night at Golden 1 Center without Joel Embiid and James Harden. Harris played a major role in the victory, finishing with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting along with six assists and five rebounds before fouling out with 3 minutes, 6 seconds remaining.

The NBA’s hottest team, the Sixers have the the Eastern Conference’s second-best record at 30-16, after winning 18 of 22 games.

As perennial All-NBA cornerstones, Embiid and Harden deservedly received a lot of credit for the team’s dominant play heading into Saturday’s game.

Embiid had scored at least 30 points in five consecutive games. And that’s nothing, considering the five-time All-Star center was averaging 35.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 blocks since Dec. 9.

Meanwhile, Harden, a 10-time All-Star guard, averaged 21.3 points, 12.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals during that time. Harris, meanwhile, averaged 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over that stretch while continuously adjusting his role depending on who was playing or who the Sixers were playing against.

On nights that Embiid and/or Harden missed, the Sixers ran more of their offense through Harris. When on the court with the trio of Harden, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, Harris’ role is to space the floor and take advantage of catch-and-shoot opportunities. And they also challenged him to excel on the defensive end.

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Harris has starred in all of those roles in addition to doing countless other things that go unnoticed on a stat sheet.

As good as Embiid and Harden are, championship-caliber teams are built with players like Harris.

The only benefit of trading him at this time is perhaps shedding his salary. He has less than two years and $79.6 million remaining on the five-year $180 million contract he signed on July 10, 2019.

But his contract probably is the reason why the often-shopped Harris still is on the roster. It’s a contract that could be easier to unload next season when he’s in its final year.

Right now, they can’t afford to let him go.

The number of realistic available better options are slim because of Harris’ contract. Even if they find a player as good, it will take the new person a while to adjust to the Sixers’ system.

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It may make sense for the sides to part ways after the season.

As good as he’s been, Harris is playing out of position. He’s at his best with the ball in his hands. He excels in pick-and-rolls. Before this season, Harris wasn’t known as a great defender, or a rebounding machine, or a facilitator for others. He was known for his ability to score.

That’s why he would be better suited playing for a team on which he could become a second option. The Sixers could benefit from their fourth option making considerably less money.

But his ability to adapt is a major reason why the Sixers have lofty expectations.

You can’t trade that away at this time.