Since signing a 4-year extension, $ 84 million before the 2017-18 season, Gary Harris has significantly underperformed for the duration of his contract. Injuries and ever-increasing depth on the roster have reduced Harris’ use and efficiency on the floor. The Nuggets are on the verge of title contention; their problem with Harris is more due to luxury and redundancy rather than production.
Harris is two years old and $ 42 million remained on his contract. Despite being a solid defender, his offensive shortcomings leave a lot to be desired. Nuggets don’t have much flexibility in targeting free agents, but they can pursue exchanges to strengthen their list. Paul Millsap is a free agent looming after the end of the season. While the Nuggets would like to detain him, it may not be possible to sign him for his asking price below the salary limit.
The Knicks could easily help the Nuggets by offering Julius Randle in a 1 on 1 deal for Harris and pulling compensation (one or two first-round choices would be nice).
This move allows the Nuggets to free up room to become players in the 2021 free NBA agency. While Randle has ties to the CAA, he may also enjoy a move to a playoff contender in Denver. The Knicks could use Harris as a firm piece from the bench in the reserve shooting guard role, or they could always swap him during the 2020-21 season. If he rediscovers his shooting skills, it could also be a useful piece for the Knicks, both in player development and in future commercial resources.