NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Portland Trail Blazers
By Connor Learn
3. Maurice Harkless to the Memphis Grizzlies for Brandan Wright
Moe Harkless was at a crossroads in his career when he was acquired by the Trail Blazers. The Magic gave up on the former No. 15 overall pick for free essentially: they will only receive a 2020 second round pick in return. Harkless came along slowly for Portland, breaking into a sizable rotation spot for the first time late in the 2015-16 season. He signed a four -year, $42 million dollar deal to stay last summer.
Harkless had his best season in 2016-17. Partially due to injuries to other forwards and partially due to his own improvements, he averaged career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, and 3-point percentage. The 6-foot-9 forward is developing offensively and can guard multiple positions; he will be in the league for a while yet. The 23-year-old Harkless is expendable because of depth around him, however.
The Grizzlies learned a lesson about why depth is important when you employ Chandler Parsons last season. Parsons played limited minutes for Memphis after signing a max deal, forcing the likes of Vince Carter, James Ennis and Wayne Selden into heavy minutes. The Grizzlies could easily flip their reserve center for more wing depth, even if Harkless currently makes more than Wright. Both teams would address needs and feel like they got better in this deal.