You may remember a time long ago, 12 whole months ago, when Devin Harris was considered a top flight point guard in the league. He was part of the Mavs’ run that resulted in a Finals appearance and the top overall seed in the NBA in 2007 (something, something, first round exit; we’re just going to brush over that).
Then he was traded to the Nets and the first season wasn’t that terrible. Not good, but definitely not, well, last year. Last year brought misery, injury, and a barrage of trade rumors to Harris’ career. With the Nets being the odds on favorites to win the John Wall sweepstakes, Harris’ time in Jersey seemed eminently finite.
But then, of course, the lottery balls bounced Washington’s way, while the Nets were stuck with the third pick. Given the massive amount of failure last year’s record seemed to convey, and with the new ownership in place, questions still lingered around Harris’ future with the club.
But in a report from the New York Daily News, Julian Garcia relates that Harris is locked in with the Nets, especially with the Nets’ hiring of Avery Johnson, Harris’ former coach in Dallas.
Johnson’s offense is likely to make Harris the focal point of the offense, even with Brook Lopez and the prospective third pick on the roster. Moving Harris would have been a huge advantage in upgrading the team if they’d gotten Wall, but things didn’t work out that way. Harris is getting a second chance in New Jersey, which may not be the best of things. But he’s at least getting a coach who is a proponent for him.