Moe Harkless Is Low-Risk, High-Reward Gamble for Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers continued their youth movement with the acquisition of small forward Maurice Harkless, sending a future protected second-round pick to the Orlando Magic, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

The move truly embodies the "low-risk, high-reward" moniker for certain basketball decisions, considering Harkless' age (22) and potential in exchange for a pick that is protected from selections 31 through 55, per NBA.com. 

So unless the pick comes in the last five spots of the second round, Portland just nabbed Harkless for essentially nothing.

Since being taken No. 15 in the 2012 draft, Harkless has seen his playing time diminish each season. From 26.0 minutes per game during his rookie campaign to 24.4 in 2013-14 to 15.0 last year, he fell out of the rotation behind other wings and was unable to truly break in as an impact player.

With the Blazers, just newcomer Al-Farouq Aminu will be ahead of him in the rotation at small forward. As Portland undergoes an identity shift, there should be plenty of opportunities for Harkless to get some solid playing time and be able to contribute.

He touched on his lack thereof with the Magic, per a report from the Columbian's Erik Gundersen: 

"

It might have been one of the hardest years of my basketball life. I've never been in that situation. But I think I did a pretty good job of being mentally strong all year and getting through it. I don't ever want to be in a situation like that again. So I'm going to make sure whatever team I'm on, the coach won't have a choice but to put me in there. That's why I work hard every day, because I want to be a great player.

"

The biggest knock against Harkless throughout his career has been his lack of offensive game. 

Last year, Harkless converted only 17.2 percent of his jump shots, per NBA.com. His points came almost exclusively at the rim, with 85 of his 158 field-goal attempts coming from within nine feet. In addition, 68.3 percent of his scoring was assisted on. 

Without a consistent jumper and a go-to offensive move, Harkless becomes a bit of a black hole on that end of the floor. He can still contribute cutting or slashing to the rim and finishing with dunks or lay-ins, but his usefulness in terms of scoring is limited.

It is on the other end, however, where Harkless proves he is a capable NBA player.

At 6'9" with a 7'0" wingspan, per Draft Express, he can play as a solid individual and help defend. Per NBA.com, Orlando sported a defensive rating of 101.5 with Harkless on the floor compared to a 105.9 rating without him.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

He has averaged 1.1 steals per game for his career and has shown to be a capable shot-blocker as well.

In 28 games after the All-Star break in 2013-14, the forward averaged 9.1 points on 47.6 percent, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks in 30.1 minutes. It's a small sample size and one that was a season ago, but it serves as evidence of just what Harkless is capable of when given ample opportunity. 

With just Aminu ahead of him in the rotation, Harkless will have the chance to find a niche with the Blazers.

After an influx of players who score almost exclusively around the rim, such as Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis and Aminu, it begs the question of just where that niche will be. Harkless' skills mirror the latter player's in a way, so he could feasibly fill a similar role off the bench as a versatile defensive wing.

All teams want and need the most from their personnel, but the connection between Harkless and Portland is unique in that both parties require it to happen to survive. The organization must find every asset it can at this point in time, and Harkless needs to flesh out his skills to maintain his NBA career.

In the midst of a rebuilding phase, there will be no pressure on Harkless to develop as quickly as possible. He can undergo stretches when he makes mistakes and learns, and ultimately comes away from them a wiser and more skilled player. With guys such as Noah Vonleh and Tim Frazier walking the same path, it's the ideal place for Harkless to be at this point.

Per a report from the Oregonian's Mike Richman, general manager Neil Olshey is aware of as much, saying Harkless "fits our model right now. He's an emerging young player. He's got a lot of talent. We think his best days are ahead of him as a basketball player." 

Olshey went on to admit that franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard approved of the trade for Harkless: "The first text I got was from Dame saying, 'Great move. Love Moe.' Anytime you have your best player embrace new additions to your roster you know you're heading in the right direction."

In the perfect situation with support of team management and his peers, Harkless will have the chance to explore his ceiling and become a reliable forward. It's a must if he wishes to stick around in the NBA, as his opportunities to develop won't be around forever.

In addition, it's something Portland is banking on from its new asset. The team needs Harkless to grow into a solid player alongside Lillard so it can emerge from this restructuring period and move into one in which the Blazers are contending for a championship.

The more diamonds in the rough they find on the way the better. And Harkless just may be one of them.