With news breaking of Damian Lillard being waived and Myles Turner signing for the Milwaukee Bucks, it is understandable that many may have missed them also signing veteran guard Gary Harris. He will likely serve as their Pat Connaughton replacement as the guard has been traded to the Hornets.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news of Harris signing with Milwaukee on a two-year deal with a player option for the 2026-27 season, but no financial details have been reported yet. Jon Horst once again loves to put a player option in a deal. That at least gives the Bucks consistency roster-wise over the coming years; they can easily move those players on when their deals are expiring.
Chaos doesn't quite cut what has been going on with the Bucks this Tuesday afternoon, but they continue bolstering their backcourt, and adding Harris is a smart move.
Harris provides depth and solidity in a backcourt that needs guidance
Harris has been a reliable role player for the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic during his time in the NBA. This season, he played 48 games with Orlando, averaging three points and 1.3 rebounds on shooting splits of .383/.356/.583 in 14.8 minutes per game.
Those stats do not look great, but it was a clear off-year for him, with his career averages being .446/.369/.810. Milwaukee will hope to get him as close to that as possible, given what could be a young backcourt that needs guidance.
Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. have both re-signed, with no news yet on Ryan Rollins and other guards that have non-guaranteed deals. Now that the team has moved on from Lillard, Harris will likely step into a veteran leadership role for the guards.
It is unlikely that we will see a ton of game time for Harris, but he can still be effective with his ability to defend all kinds of guards and hit shots consistently.
The roster is now close to being completed, with Turner replacing Brook Lopez, following his signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. Taurean Prince re-signing means the Bucks have a pair of wings in him and Harris that can play an impactful 15-20 minutes per night, allowing the likes of Trent and Porter to flourish.
It has been a wild couple of hours, and it's hard to get your head wrapped around things with reports flying out. This move for Harris is quite a clever one by the Milwaukee Bucks. He is the sort of player they need with his ability to shoot and defend, while bringing the veteran presence.
Harris will be a low-cost, low-risk signing and fits what the Milwaukee Bucks need. His impact may be seen more so off the court and in the locker room than what we see from the veteran on the court.