​Michigan State alumni have been the talk of the town lately, but the spotlight has largely shone on the NBA Summer League showings of former Spartans Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler. Now, another former Spartan is making headlines, this time for an NBA trade that shifts him back toward his roots. Gary Harris, paired with Taurean Prince, has been traded to the Detroit Pistons, bringing Harris back to the state that cheered him on during his memorable two seasons in East Lansing. Two strokes of fate later, and he will once again call Michigan home.
Harris entered the league as the 19th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night, a scenario that has become commonplace in the modern draft era. He was just 20 years old when he debuted in the NBA, and twelve seasons later he sits at 31 as one of the league’s more seasoned veterans. It almost feels like yesterday that Harris was lighting up the Breslin Center in his signature green and white.
Under Tom Izzo, Harris started every game he played and averaged 14.9 points per game over his college career. He established himself as one of the country’s most refined scorers, capable of producing baskets from anywhere on the floor, and he helped lead Michigan State to the Elite Eight in 2014 before the Spartans fell to a resilient UConn squad, 60-54.
Though Harris never took the court for the Bulls, he quickly found a home in Denver. He spent the first six-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career with the Nuggets, delivering double-digit points in every season except his rookie year. His most productive offensive stretches came in his third and fourth seasons, when he averaged 14.9 and 17.5 points per game, respectively. While his scoring remained solid, injuries began to take their toll, gradually masking his consistency and fueling fan frustration.
The 2020-21 season brought a new chapter as Harris was traded to the Orlando Magic, where he still flashed the player who had once shined in Denver. In his first season and a half in Orlando, he posted more than 10 points per game on multiple occasions. Yet injuries continued to limit his availability. In what would become a full season in Orlando, Harris played 61 games but started only 30.
Over his final three seasons in Orlando, Harris saw his role shrink further. By his final year with the Magic, he started just three games while averaging a mere 3.0 points per game across 48 appearances. Last season, he inked a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, and his playing time remained limited. He appeared in 48 games but started only two, recording a career-low 2.7 points per game. It stood in stark contrast to the dynamic, high-energy player he once was, a silhouette of what had once been a force on the floor.