Veteran wing Joe Harris has decided to retire, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
The 33rd overall pick of the 2014 draft, Harris spent his first season-plus in Cleveland, which traded him to Orlando when he sustained a season-ending foot injury in 2015-16. The Magic released him, and he wound up signing with Brooklyn as a free agent in July 2016.
Harris had by far the most productive run of his career with the Nets, emerging as a reliable rotation player and one of the best outside shooters in the NBA.
Over a three-season span from 2018-21, Harris averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists, posting an elite shooting line of .497/.458/.782 in 214 games (30.6 minutes per game). He led the league in three-point percentage in two of those three campaigns.
Unfortunately, Harris’ career was derailed at the beginning of the ’21-22 season when he sustained a major ankle injury. His lucrative long-term contract with Brooklyn turned into an albatross, as the 32-year-old was never able to regain his pre-injury athleticism.
The Nets traded Harris to the Pistons last summer in a salary-dump move. He only appeared in 16 games (10.6 minutes) with Detroit and struggled when he did play in ’23-24. The Pistons released Harris in February, making him an unrestricted free agent.
In 10 NBA seasons, the former Virginia star averaged 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 504 regular season contests, including 283 starts (24.4 minutes). His career mark of .436% from three ranks fifth in NBA history. Harris also won the three-point contest in 2019.
