The Orlando Magic will face tough decisions this coming summer when deciding how to approach free agency. They have a roster full of young, athletic and talented players, but they don't yet have a team that can compete for a playoff spot in the East.
Tobias Harris is one of those difficult decisions. He's a restricted free agent, so the Magic can keep him in Orlando if they choose. However, Harris is attracting a lot of attention around the league because he's averaging 18 points and 6.9 rebounds on 47 percent shooting and is still only 22.
New York is planning to go after Harris this summer and the interest is mutual, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Harris grew up and went to high school in Brooklyn, and doesn't seem too concerned about the Knicks' struggles this season.
"I'm not really too surprised,'' Harris told Berman. "It's part of the NBA. It's just Phil Jackson's first year here. You can see he's making some moves to do some big things [this summer].''
New York currently has the league's worst record at 7-36, although it has won two straight after dropping 16 in a row. If Orlando isn't sure about committing to two below average defenders in its starting lineup (the Magic signed Nikola Vucevic to a four-year extension last summer), then Harris may have his own version of a homecoming.
Grizzlies give Tyrus Thomas a shot
Last season, Memphis signed James Johnson out of the D-League and turned him into a rotation player. He ended up playing 52 games while averaging 18.4 minutes and 7.4 points for the Grizzlies -- a huge impact for a player who was out of the league. Now, Memphis is trying that same strategy again by signing former lottery pick Tyrus Thomas to a 10-day contract on Thursday.
Joe Mullinax at Grizzly Bear Blues sees clear similarities between the two:
Thomas isn't the biggest power forward, but at 6'10 and 225lbs, he's got the length that the Grizzlies might occasionally miss from the recently-departed Tayshaun Prince. Thomas looks to bounce back from season ending surgery for a cyst removal last year, and the Grizzlies apparently saw enough in his two games with the Iowa Energy in which he averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Read more at Grizzly Bear Blues.
Lakers one of many teams interested in Goran Dragic
Goran Dragic is one of the headliners of free agency next summer and Los Angeles is one of many teams with cap room looking to spend, so it's no surprise the Lakers may pursue him, according to a USA Today report.
However, Dragic isn't "thinking about free agency too much," a source in the report said. Although Dragic was initially concerned about sharing a backcourt with Eric Bledsoe, the two have thrived playing with each other and the Suns are playing some of their best ball, winning eight of their last 10 games.
For more on Phoenix, visit Bright Side of the Sun.