The Denver Nuggets traded Gary Harris in March of 2021 and it worked out great.
Harris was beloved by the fans in the Mile High City, but adding Aaron Gordon was one of the best trades in Nuggets history.
Gordon went on to become a key piece of Denver’s first ever championship team in 2023, while Harris was fine for the Orlando Magic but never really found his groove in terms of being what that franchise probably wanted out him.
In four seasons with Orlando, Harris saw his numbers pretty much decline across the board each year. This past season Harris battled injuries and only played in 48 games, averaging just 14.8 minutes per contest, scoring 3.0 points per game, grabbing 1.3 rebounds and dishing out .6 assists.
It’s fair to wonder how much the 30-year-old has left in the tank, and now Harris likely won’t be part of the Magic’s future plans. After a big trade in recent days, multiple reports say Orlando is declining the $7.5 million team option on the contract of Gary Harris for this upcoming season. That will make him a free agent.
Just In: The Orlando Magic have declined team options for Gary Harris ($7.5 million) and Cory Joseph ($3.47 million) for the 2025-26 season as part of the Desmond Bane trade, league sources told @hoopshype. pic.twitter.com/DmmUnPt3ai
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 17, 2025
That would’ve been a lot of money to pay a guy that had basically fallen out of the rotation.
But this begs the question of could a reunion make sense with Harris in Denver on a veteran minimum contract? The best years of his career came here, including during the 2017-18 season when Gary Harris averaged 17.5 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from the three-point line.
With Russell Westbrook declining his player option for 2025-26, the Nuggets need bench depth. It might be worth taking a shot on Harris and seeing if he still has anything to give as an NBA player. Worst case scenario is that he could be a veteran mentor for young Nuggets guard like Jalen Pickett.
As of now, Josh Kroenke still hasn’t hired a GM, but whenever that announcement comes down it’ll be something for the new boss to consider.
And you know Nuggets fans would welcome back Gary Harris with open arms, regardless of if he had any real role on the court.
