Do not sleep on Moe Harkless

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Moe Harkless from the Orlando Magic on July 14 for the low, low price of a future second round draft pick. A top-15 draft pick himself just three years prior, Harkless’ value to the Magic had declined to virtually nothing. He played just 45 games in 2014-15, averaging 3.5 points in 15 minutes, so it came as no surprise when the Magic officially moved on. He was effectively obsolete.

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It would be remarkably easy, then, to paint Harkless as a bust; a guy who couldn’t hack it as a valued prospect—even on a rebuilding team; a guy that will never meet the potential he once had. Yet, such a portrait would be unfair. A closer look at his time in Orlando gives us a better idea of why he could not stay, and why the Trail Blazers were so eager to welcome him to Portland.

Year 1: 2012-13

Harkless came off the bench to start his rookie season, getting few touches, despite playing 10-20 minutes on most nights. After a couple weeks of finding his feet, he joined the starting lineup. Was he ready? Probably not, but the Magic had been awkwardly alternating between Josh McRoberts and DeQuan Jones at the time, and they needed to make a change. Harkless struggled, but eventually picked up steam around February, when then rookie Head Coach Jacque Vaughn increased his minutes.

It was also around this time, however, that the Magic traded J.J. Redick to the Milwaukee Bucks, believing they would be left empty handed if he walked in free agency the following summer. In return, they received (among others) Tobias Harris, who had been stuck behind the freshly overpaid Ersan Ilyasova. With no one to hold him back in Orlando, Harris exploded in a big way, jumping from a paltry 4.9 points per game, to an unprecedented 17.3 points per game. No one quite expected that.

For the remainder of the 2012-13 season, this was fine for Harkless. Harris played power forward and the two shared the court as starters. After the trade, it became clear that the Magic were tanking, and tanking hard, so both got heavy minutes. There was even a seven game stretch where Harkless received 40+ minutes each night. During that time, he averaged 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds, leading the team in scoring on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, it would not be allowed to last.

Year 2: 2013-14

Sep 30, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) poses for a portrait during media day at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Orlando’s tank-job was so successful that they received the 2nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. That pick became shooting guard Victor Oladipo. In order to make room for Oladipo in the starting lineup, albeit intermittently, swingman Arron Afflalo was pushed to small forward, in turn pushing Harkless back to the bench. Harkless spent much of his sophomore season bouncing sporadically between playing 15 minutes and playing 30 minutes, contributing as much as possible when given the opportunity. This would have been resolved when Afflalo was traded to the Denver Nuggets in the offseason, if not for one questionable move…

Year 3: 2014-15

The Orlando Magic signed veteran power forward Channing Frye to a three year, $24 million contract in order to meet the cap floor. This pushed Harris up to the small forward slot, fixing Harkless’ saddle firmly to the pine pony. Harris was allotted roughly 35 minutes per game since he had earned his place alongside Oldipo and Nikola Vucevic as one of the team’s primary scorers. Conversely, Harkless was allotted 15 minutes per game between DNPs. When healthy, rookie Aaron Gordon was often given preference off the bench, being tested as a flex forward, and representing a larger investment as the 4th overall pick.

Now joining the Trail Blazers, Harkless will again be a second or third option. However, instead of being gradually squeezed out, he will be gradually squeezed in. There are no prized rookies to be prioritized, no established veterans in their prime; just small forwards Al-Farouq Aminu and (sometimes) Allen Crabbe—two other young guys just trying to find their place. Harkless is still that player that can drop 20 points on a good night if you let him. There is room for him to contribute and grow in Portland.

So do not sleep on Moe Harkless. He is not some washout that landed here as filler. In the right situation, he can be truly awesome. The Trail Blazers’ current rebuild could be that situation. All it cost them was a future second rounder to find out. Harkless is here for good reason. He still has untapped potential, which is practically Portland’s slogan at this point.

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