As first reported by ESPN’s Adrain Wojnarowski on August 27th, Orlando Magic Guard Gary Harris suffered a Torn Meniscus, and may miss the majority or entirety of the 2022-2023 NBA season. This is a crushing blow to Orlando, who resigned Harris to a two-year, $26 Million Contract on June 30th. At just 28 years old, it’s quite possible that Harris was in or entering his peak basketball performance, and looked to provide a reliable veteran presence in Orlando.
For context, Harris spent the first seven seasons (2014-2020) of his NBA career in Denver, where he averaged 29.1 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting 44.8% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range. As a result of his consistent and reliable production, Denver signed Harris to a four-year, $84 Million Contract Extension in 2017, and was thought to be a key piece of the Nuggets’ roster moving forward.
After struggling in the competitive Western Conference for multiple years, Denver decided to trade Harris, 2020 first-round pick R.J. Hampton, and a future 2025 first-round pick to Orlando in exchange for Aaron Gordon. While losing Harris was painful to the Nuggets, Gordon helped lead Denver to a 47-25 regular-season record and to the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals, where they lost to Phoenix in four games.
Shortly after Harris was sent to Orlando, he was thought to be another trade piece for Orlando to use in a future trade, as Orlando had already traded Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Gordon at the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline. In fact, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton reported that Orlando would only be a brief stop for Harris, saying he could be shipped out by the 2022 trade deadline or bought out altogether around that time. In spite of this, Harris has remained with the Magic since the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, and has been a solid contributor for Orlando. In 81 career games with Orlando, Harris has averaged 10.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG while shooting 41.6% from the field and 38.0% from downtown.
Shortly after the Magic resigned Harris to keep him in Orlando, many speculated that Harris would be a key player in Orlando’s 2022-2023 rotation. While second-year Head Coach Jamahl Mosley was expected to give Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs more playing time than Harris, he would still provide a much-needed scoring spark off the bench, something the Magic struggled with last season. As previously mentioned, Harris is one of the most seasoned players on Orlando’s roster, alongside Terrence Ross.
If Harris’ Meniscus is so severe that he is forced to miss the entire 2022-2023 NBA season, the Magic will need some of their players to step up in Harris’ absence. A few names to keep an eye on throughout the 2022-2023 NBA Preseason and Regular Season include R.J. Hampton, Zavier Simpson, Kevon Harris, and Drake Jefferies.
Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo further evaluation to determine a timetable for a return, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2022