The New York Knicks acquired Moe Harkless from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Marcus Morris trade just before the trade deadline.
Harkless went from being on a title contender to playing for a lottery team. It’s quite the change of scenery for the small forward.
However, Harkless is actually living a childhood dream. He’s a Queens native, so playing for the Knicks is something he's always wanted to do.
With that said, Harkless might not want a buyout from the Knicks since he's playing at home. He has yet to initiate buyout talks with New York:
Moe Harkless says he hasn't initiated any talks with the Knicks about taking a buyout before the end of the month. He says he and his agent might talk about it at some point and weigh whether he wants to play for a contender. The Knicks traded for him in the Marcus Morris deal.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) February 19, 2020
Harkless played in 50 games for the Clippers this season. He averaged 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from beyond the arc and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Knicks are 17-37 on the season. They are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings. With Harkless’ skills better suited to a contender because of his defense and occasional scoring (particularly shooting from the outside), the rebuilding Knicks have no use for the role player and are better suited developing younger players with higher ceilings.
Harkless is making $11,011,236 this season, the final year of his contract. He has career NBA averages of 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists. The Los Angeles Lakers would reportedly have interest in Harkless should he get bought out by the Knicks. It has to happen before March 1 for Harkless to be eligible to play in the postseason.