I don't think Harris has regressed at all. He is scoring more points per shot than last year, rebounding and passing at a much higher rate, blocking and stealing at a higher rate, etc. His 3PT% is down a bit, but that is about it. His minutes are down because they are trying to get more people involved. Ainge obviously likes Harris or Boston wouldn't have been as heavily connected to him last summer as it was.
I'd love to get Harris at the right price. I think he is a guy that could be a real part of a title contender at some point down the line.
Harris and Fournier
for
Johnson, Turner, Sullinger, Dallas 1st, Boston 1st
That seems like a pretty fair trade for both teams. Orlando gets veteran leadership, a young PF, and two 1st's and Boston gets a couple of solid young players that are theoretically good fits on the team.
I like Harris a lot, and would like us to try to get him, but that trade does make us a lot smaller up front in the near term. I'd also rather use Lee as the salary matcher than Johnson because that would reserve Amir's contract for potential trade use in the small window between the end of the season and his 2nd year vesting date, when it will have maximum trade value.
Doing that would cost at least 1 more 1st or decently valued player. It does make Boston smaller in the near term, but better long term, which is the point.
Yes, I understand that, with Lee (instead of Amir) that we'd have to add more to the deal.
I think Danny is probably committed to strengthening the team in the short term as well as the long term.
Lee's contract becomes a buyout if we don't use it by the deadline. Conversely, Amir's contract could still have it's maximum value towards some "long term" asset later on down the road (in the window between when the season ends and the vesting date for his 2nd season contract, his contract will basically represent "free salary matching").
So using them in that order could maximize return beyond what extra you might have to stick into the nearer deal.