NBA Trade Rumors: Teams Would Be Smart to Buy Low on Devin Harris

Against his former team yesterday, Utah Jazz point guard Devin Harris scored one point on 0-for-7 shooting with two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

That's why it's not surprising to see tweets like this one from ESPN's Marc Stein.

You're probably wondering why in the world any team would want to trade for this guy, especially after a look at his season numbers, which aren't that far off from last night's stinker of a performance.

Harris is averaging 8.1 points on 35 percent shooting to go along with 4.6 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game.

Yuck.

Nonetheless, the seventh-year pro from Wisconsin makes for a terrific buy-low target. Stay with me here.

First of all, remember that as recently as 2009 Harris averaged 21.3 points and 6.9 assists per game, and shot 44 percent from the field. He was an All-Star that year. 

Even last year before he was traded to the Jazz, the Nets point guard was scoring 15 points and dishing out a career-high 7.6 assists per game.

This kid has game, but something went wrong once he went to Salt Lake City.

Whether he simply doesn't want to be there or just can't run a team full of young, developing players, Harris has struggled beyond belief during his 31 games with the Jazz.

A change of scenery is the best possible thing for Harris, who is still just 28 years young. I'm not convinced he's over the hill quite yet. 

Neither does ESPN's John Hollinger: 

"

While Harris may not be everybody's first choice as a teammate because of how much he dominates the ball, there's no question he's effective. His devastating first step allows him to get to the line at a rate few guards can match -- his 0.49 FTA/FGA was third among point guards -- and it wasn't all about him either: He quietly upped his assist rate last season to a very respectable 8.9 per 40 minutes. 

While Harris is very good at taking charges, too often he seems focused on his offense and checked out at the other end; it's so frustrating because early in his career he was one of the best defensive guards in basketball.

"

If Harris landed somewhere like Los Angeles or Miami, where other scorers and veterans are around, there's no question he would thrive. Fifteen and seven per night would be a piece of cake for the former Badger.

For certain playoff contenders (ahem, Lakers), that is the missing piece to the championship puzzle. 

There's a little bit of risk in trading for Harris, considering he makes about $9 million this season and $8.5 million next year, but at this point he won't command a lot in return, and the potential reward is more than worth it.