Trail Blazers announce acquisition of Moe Harkless from Magic
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The Portland Trail Blazers continued to infuse youth into their post-LaMarcus Aldridge roster on Tuesday, announcing the acquisition of Moe Harkless.
Portland was able to pry Harkless from the Orlando Magic essentially for free, sending back a 2020 second-round pick that only conveys if it falls outside the top 55. Considering Harkless was the No. 15 pick in 2012 and is still 22, that price tag represents more than a fairly priced lottery ticket.
The trade was first reported Sunday, and furthers Portland's goal of getting younger. Harkless also represents yet another flier on a former lottery pick, as the Blazers also took on Noah Vonleh from the Charlotte Hornets, himself a No. 9 pick who has struggled for playing time.
The Magic giving up on Harkless is interesting, considering they're not facing a salary cup crunch and they could use his shooting. With Harkless owed $2.9 million for the upcoming season before he hits restricted free agency, they may have deemed the additional flexibility worthy of letting a potential asset get away.
Harkless had hoped that the Magic hiring a defensive-minded head coach in Scott Skiles would give him new life after he fell out of the rotation in recent years, but he'll now have to hope for a fresh start with Terry Stotts in Rip City.
He's posted a 2.4 percent steal rate and 2.1 percent block rate in his career - both strong marks for a wing. He also has the length and quickness - he measured with a 7-foot wingspan entering the league - of a typically effective defender, and he graded out well by ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus statistic this season.
The key for Harkless may come down to doing enough offensively to warrant playing time. He shot 38.3 percent from long range as a sophomore, but was held to 10 triples last year, and his career 3-point percentage is 30.9. He'll need to knock those shots down reliably to keep a hold on a rotation spot.