Is Moe Harkless finished with the Orlando Magic? Although things seem to look that way, Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler doesn't believe a trade is imminent yet.
Harkless's role on the team has been reduced, and it's uncertain what Orlando plans to do with him now. He's played limited minutes in just four games during December, but that doesn't mean he's a lock to be traded before the Feb. 19 deadline.
Per Kyler:
"As for a trade - maybe. I think (it's) very possible and would honestly be welcomed. No player wants to sit and be inactive, so if the Magic are not going to play him, he has to be somewhere else. He has not asked for a trade.
"Here is the wrinkle. What do you get in return for him? He is not playing. He has not logged anything special this season and the staff has painted him pretty negatively. With Aaron Gordon's status unclear and Tobias Harris hitting free agency - do you dump Moe now while his value is low or do you let other things play out knowing you have Moe as a safety net?
"Also the issue here seems to be with the coaching staff... is this staff part of the future? Will the next staff see more value in Harkless?"
Orlando exercised their team option to extend his contract through the 2016 season, so it's not as if they no longer see potential in him. The issue, according to Kyler, is Harkless's style of play.
"The problem is Moe does not play with 'motor' - he never has," Kyler wrote. "He didn't play that way in high school. He didn't play that way in college or at any point in his NBA career. He is very patient and methodical. That is a problem for the Magic coaching staff. They have been on Moe about playing harder, faster and more aggressively and that's just not how Moe is wired. ... I think things have run their course with the coaches - (it's) possible they give Moe another shot, but it seems like they have simply had enough of trying to motivate Moe to play like they want him to play."
