Buyout Candidate Moe Harkless Expected to Remain With Knicks

As soon as it was revealed that Moe Harkless was included in the trade deadline deal that sent Marcus Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers, pundits presumed that he would eventually reach a buyout with the New York Knicks and join a contender.

Well, as it turns out, the 26-year-old winger is staying put with his hometown team.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Friday night that the Queens native plans on remaining with the Knicks for the rest of the season.

New York Knicks forward Moe Harkless is a player teams are monitoring as a buyout target, but the plan is for both sides to finish the year out together, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 21, 2020

Harkless has played in just one game for the Knicks thus far, appearing in 25 minutes off the bench. He scored four points, and grabbed five boards in his debut.

After this news -- and considering the time he had during the All-Star break to further explore Mike Miller's system -- you have to think that his role on the team will increase.

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

In 50 contests with the Clippers, the former No. 15 overall pick averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game, while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 35.5% on 3s.

Harkless is set to be a free agent this offseason and will use the rest of the campaign as a showcase for potential suitors.