Maurice Harkless Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Harkless, Cunningham

April 2nd, 2016 at 12:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves should not bring back interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Mitchell’s dour personality doesn’t mesh with the team’s enthusiastic young stars and he’s not among the top 15 available candidates, Souhan continues. Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton and Scott Brooks are among the potential candidates that the team should look at, Souhan adds.

In other news around the Northwest Division:

Small forward Maurice Harkless has emerged as a starter for the Trail Blazers, according to Mike Richman of The Oregonian. With Harkless in the lineup, Al-Farouq Aminu has shifted to power forward with Noah Vonleh moving to a reserve role. The pairing of Harkless and Aminu gives Portland more defensive versatility, as Harkless told Richman. “I think it just changes the dynamic,” Harkless said. “Defensively, we can pretty much switch everything one through four. Offensively, it creates an advantage for me or Al-Farouq, whoever the big guy is guarding.”
Jared Cunningham has returned to the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets. The 24-year-old shooting guard has lived a nomadic existence this season. He appeared in 40 games with the Cavaliers, was waived by the Magic after they acquired him as part of the Channing Frye swap, then signed with the Stampede. He also signed a 10-day contract with the Bucks in mid-March but Milwaukee declined to offer him another 10-day deal.
Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris has responded to coach Michael Malone’s challenge to become a much bigger factor in his second season, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post writes. Harris solidified himself as the team’s starting shooting guard in a make-or-break season to prove himself, Dempsey continues. Harris has reached double digits in 23 of his last 25 games, shedding his label as a defensive specialist. “Just being more aggressive on the offensive and defensive end,” Harris told Dempsey. “Just getting back into it. Instead of just being labeled as a defender, being an all-around player.”

Blazers Notes: Henderson, Leonard, Harkless

April 1st, 2016 at 6:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Gerald Henderson has enjoyed his first season in Portland and wouldn’t mind seeing it turn into a long-term relationship, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Henderson quickly assumed a leadership role with the Blazers after being traded there from Charlotte last offseason. Even though he’s had to accept a reserve spot, Henderson says he’s happy being a “big-minute player.” He will be among at least six Portland free agents this summer, so a return isn’t certain despite apparent interest on both sides. “If they want me back and we can come up with a contract that makes sense, then I’d love to come back here,” Henderson said. “This has been a great year. I was just telling the guys; this has probably been one of the most fun teams I’ve been on. This has been one of my most fun years. Because we’ve really worked for this. We’ve really earned this. It’s a tight group, a great group of guys.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Northwest:

Meyers Leonard is also hoping to stay in Portland, Freeman writes in a separate story. The Blazers’ back-up big man is out for the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He will have surgery soon and faces a six- to eight-month rehab process. Leonard will be a restricted free agent this summer after turning down a contract extension in October, and the injury could limit the offers he gets from other teams. He hopes to be ready in time for training camp. “I believe that I can be a key piece of the future,” Leonard said. “Obviously, [I was] drafted with Damian Lillard. Been here with [coach] Terry [Stotts]. And I think that [GM] Neil [Olshey], the guys, coaches, understand what I bring.”
Also headed for free agency is small forward Moe Harkless, who moved into the starting lineup in the wake of Leonard’s injury, relates Mike Richman of The Oregonian. Harkless, who is averaging 13 points and 5.8 rebounds per game since the change was made, was acquired from Orlando in an offseason deal. “I just got to be ready to be out there,” Harkless said of his new role. “Before I was just not really being out [on the floor] at crucial times in the game, but now I just got to stay ready and be ready to go.” He is making nearly $2.9MM in the final year of his contract.

Western Notes: Howard, Harkless, Jones

December 17th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the reports that he is unhappy playing second-fiddle to James Harden, Rockets center Dwight Howard insists that he’s committed to the team and disputes any notion that he’s projecting negativity that is affecting his teammates, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. “The one thing that I don’t want to happen is people to assume that because things are not going quite well for us that I’ve quit on the team and take away from all the positive things we have done, despite the loss, making the city feel like they’re unwanted,” Howard told Feigen. “There’s a lot of negativity going around. I haven’t caused it. I haven’t said anything negative to anybody about this team or this situation. I’ve just been trying to find ways to make this situation better, trying to grow as a man, as a basketball player. You just try to laugh at it. I don’t want to go out and persecute the people that persecute me. That’s the hardest part. The first reaction is to go back at them. You just have to respond with love.”

Here’s more from out West:

Wolves rookie point guard Tyus Jones has been assigned to the D-League since December 5th, and he is expected to return to the team after the Idaho Stampede’s game on Saturday, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relays (Twitter links). The reason that Jones will be recalled this weekend is due to Idaho not having another scheduled contest until after Christmas, Zgoda adds.
Maurice Harkless has been struggling thus far this season, his first with the Blazers, but coach Terry Stotts thinks it would be unfair to make any judgments on the young swingman with so much of the 2015/16 campaign left to play, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes. “It takes time,” Stotts said. “That’s why this season is a season of growth for everybody. I think it’s difficult to assess [his play] a third of the way in as far as road blocks and things like that. I think it’ll come and I think too many times players are evaluated by their box score. I think he’s doing his best to fit in the best he can.“
The Kings have assigned power forward Duje Dukan to the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dukan’s fourth jaunt to Reno on the season.

Agent Happy Walters Leaves Relativity Sports

October 7th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Prominent NBA agent Happy Walters has left Relativity Media and its Relativity Sports offshoot, Variety’s James Rainey reports. Walters represents John Wall, Jimmy Butler, Ty Lawson, Monta Ellis, Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and other notable NBA names. Billionaire and Relativity part-owner Ron Burkle, who was once a part of the bidding group that ultimately bought the Kings in 2013, will take over as chairman of Relativity Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal.

Relativity was in the news this summer when DeAndre Jordan, then a client of Relativity agents Dan Fegan and Jarinn Akana, pulled his infamous flip-flop and re-signed with the Clippers after verbally committing to the Mavs. Jordan later let go of Fegan and Akana, and Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, did the same.

Several Walters clients made moves this offseason. Butler scored a new five-year deal worth more than $92MM with the Bulls, Ellis signed with the Pacers for nearly $44MM over four years, Shumpert re-upped with the Cavs on a four-year deal worth $40MM and Stoudemire joined the Heat for the minimum salary. Lawson gave up the guarantee on the final season of his contract to facilitate a trade to the Rockets, a move that could cast him into free agency this coming summer.

Walters is forming his own company, Rainey hears, though it’s unclear if all his clients will follow him. One of them, Maurice Harkless, faces a November 2nd deadline to sign a rookie scale extension, but the chances of an extension for Harkless, whom the Blazers acquired via trade this summer, have long seemed remote.

Northwest Notes: Miller, Kanter, Harkless

October 2nd, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey won’t back down from the notion of making the playoffs as a goal this season, saying the same is true for all 30 teams, as The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman relays via Twitter. Still, player development is also a priority, Olshey said, as Freeman notes in a full piece.

“Same way we always do,” Olshey said of the way the team will measure its success this season. “Are our players getting better? Are we building a culture? Are we better at the end of the year than we were at the beginning? And does this roster have the potential to sustain excellence?”

Much has changed for the Blazers, who didn’t re-sign any of their seven free agents from last year. See more from Portland amid the latest from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets coach Michael Malone is pumped about adding Mike Miller, whom he calls a “deadly shooter” with championship experience who can serve as a mentor to the younger players on the roster, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post chronicles. Miller seemingly had other options, with the Grizzlies, Thunder and Mavericks reportedly interested in him this summer before this week’s buyout from the Blazers, but he quickly agreed to a deal with the Nuggets. “I’m excited,” Miller said Thursday about joining Denver, according to Dempsey. “I’ve always had a great relationship with this organization. I think they do a great job. The fans in Denver are fantastic, which makes it exciting. We’ve got this young team, which they continue to build, and hopefully we’ll have a successful season.”
Miller relinquished $200K in his buyout, leaving Portland with an obligation of about $3.08MM to him on this season’s books, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Miller signed a minimum-salary deal with the Nuggets, but teams often waive set-off rights when buyouts take place, so it’s unclear if the Blazers will recoup any additional money because of Miller’s Denver contract.
Both the Thunder and max salary signee Enes Kanter are focused on improving his woeful defense, and the team believes increased production for him on that end of the floor will have much to do with the rest of the team around him, as Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman details. “It was a different system for him coming in. He [was] playing in Utah, where we played a totally different defense than they played last season, so of course there’s gonna be some growing pains,” Kevin Durant said. “Now, he’s focused, he’s locked in a little bit more, and he’s learning just as quickly as we are.”
Blazers trade acquisition Maurice Harkless has looked strong during voluntary team workouts and the first days of camp, and he’s giving free agent signee Al-Farouq Aminu a run for the starting job at small forward, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman observes. Harkless is eligible for a rookie scale extension through November 2nd, though no indication has emerged to date that the Blazers are thinking about giving him one. Harkless admits the lack of playing time with the Magic last season was a challenge, but the Blazers plan to give him plenty of opportunities this season, as fellow Oregonian scribe Mike Richman details.

Northwest Notes: Rubio, Harkless, Claver

September 2nd, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Chuck Myron

Ricky Rubio answered affirmatively when asked whether he wanted to remain with the Timberwolves and praised the team’s offseason additions in an interview with Jamie Goodwin of the Gulf News in Dubai, where the point guard had traveled for a basketball camp. Reports conflicted this spring on the subject of whether Rubio’s camp was pushing for a trade, though comments since that time from Rubio and Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders have downplayed the notion that a trade is forthcoming. See more on Minnesota’s Northwest Division rivals here:

The Trail Blazers were eyeing Maurice Harkless long before they traded with the Magic this summer to acquire him, as GM Neil Olshey tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “Mo was very high on our board a few years ago in the [2012] draft,” Portland general manager Neil Olshey said. “We were excited about him. He has a lot of potential. He fits our model right now; he’s an emerging young player. He’s got a lot of talent. We have a lot of faith in our player development staff and our coaches that guys hit their ceilings, and we know Mo’s not even close to his ceiling at this point. He’s going to get a great opportunity with us to be the player we loved coming out of the draft.”
Former Blazers small forward Victor Claver has officially signed with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). International journalist David Pick first reported the deal this weekend. It had appeared that Claver would return to his native Spain to play, but he’s instead headed to Russia, where he finished up this past season with Khimki Moscow after hitting NBA waivers. The Blazers traded him to the Nuggets in the Arron Afflalo deal, and Denver released him a few days later.
The Jazz have hired Jordan Brady as an assistant coach for their D-League affiliate, the team announced. He spent last season as a Lakers D-League assistant coach. He’ll work under D-League head coach Dean Cooper and replace Andrae Patterson, who moved into a front office role with the Jazz this summer.

Western Notes: Thunder, Mavs, Blazers

August 23rd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Will Joseph

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Oklahoma City and what new Thunder coach Billy Donovan will bring to the team. He has already received rave reviews from the community. In a lengthy profile, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman discusses how Donovan’s up-tempo, fan-friendly style of play transformed Florida into a national power in college basketball.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

With Al-Farouq Aminu now with the Blazers, the Mavs find themselves needing to replace Aminu’s spark off the bench, with the hopes that one of their new additions can fill the void, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. Aminu signed a four-year, $30MM deal with Portland. Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson believes coach Rick Carlisle‘s track record of developing players will help the growth of some of Dallas’ young players like rookie Justin Anderson, Sneed adds.
Maurice Harkless was listed by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders as a player who is in a better situation after changing teams this summer. Portland acquired Harkless in a trade with the Magic. Harkless is better off now, Brigham writes, because he has a solid opportunity to leap from a relative unknown in the league to a significant contributor for a respected team since the Blazers are rebuilding.

Northwest Notes: Malone, Lillard, Harkless

July 17th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t have too much to say about Ty Lawson, other than that he’s been in contact and that he still considers the point guard “part of the Denver Nugget family,” but Malone, in his conversation with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, provided a glimpse into Denver’s draft night war room.

“It’s very rare when you’re picking No. 7 to get the guy you target. I kid you not, when I got the job, [GM] Tim Connelly said, ‘Emmanuel Mudiay. That’s the guy,'” Malone said.

The team’s other target was Duke small forward Justise Winslow, Malone admitted to Lowe with hesitation. Winslow slipped to the Heat at No. 10. The coach also spoke with Lowe about his time hanging around the Timberwolves last season, and Malone “absolutely” had interest in becoming the head-coach-in-waiting under Flip Saunders in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. He would have considered such an opportunity over the Nuggets gig, Wolfson adds. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Damian Lillard is a fan of Portland’s trade acquisition of Maurice Harkless, GM Neil Olshey says, and it’s with Lillard in mind that the Blazers are going after players like the former Magic small forward, as The Oregonian’s Mike Richman chronicles. Lillard signed a five-year max extension this month. “When LaMarcus [Aldridge] warned us he wasn’t coming back we went full bore with guys on the same career arc as Damian Lillard,” Olshey said. “Damian’s our best player right now, he’s a two time All-Star. We’re going to bring in players that compliment his skill set, how we want to play and that can grow with him as he continues to improve.”
The Nuggets were reportedly one of three teams interested in signing Sergio Rodriguez, but it doesn’t look like he’ll leave Spain for the NBA again, as Real Madrid wants him to stay, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The contract reportedly contains an NBA buyout clause, but Real Madrid will fight to keep him, Pick says.
The precise value of Jameer Nelson‘s three-year contract with the Nuggets is $13,621,575, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The cap hits in the four-year deal the Nuggets gave Nikola Jokic come to $5,551,000, and year four is a team option, Pincus also shows (Twitter link).

Blazers Acquire Maurice Harkless From Magic

July 14th, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Will Joseph

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

3:58pm: The Blazers have followed with a press release of their own, identifying the pick going to Orlando as a 2020 second-rounder. That pick is top-55 protected, according to Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com. It’s Portland’s own pick, and if it doesn’t convey to Orlando that year, the Blazers don’t have to give the Magic anything, as RealGM notes.

TUESDAY, 3:46pm: The deal is official, the Magic announced via press release. Orlando refers to its acquisition as a conditional second-round pick, suggesting that the protection on it is such that it may never convey to the Magic.

SUNDAY, 5:27pm: The Magic are trading forward Maurice Harkless to the Blazers for a future second-round pick, reports Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski (on Twitter).

The move does not come across as a complete shock because Orlando was reportedly willing to deal Harkless at the deadline. However, at that time, the team was seeking a first-round pick or talented young player in return. The 22-year-old former first-rounder out of St. John’s is set to earn $2,894,059 during the 2015/16 campaign. Despite being a high draft pick, Harkless has not met his full potential. In his third year, Harkless averaged only 3.5 points per game and only received 15 minutes of playing time per game.

Both Orlando and Portland are below the cap, so it’s a move that essentially transfers a measure of cap flexibility from one team to the other. It’s another move in a busy offseason for the Blazers. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews gone, Portland has done a decent job of retooling with athletic young players. Portland signed Al-Farouq Aminu and signed Ed Davis.

Reaction To Magic’s Hiring Of Scott Skiles

June 1st, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic’s announcement of Scott Skiles as their new coach late Friday afternoon didn’t linger for long atop the headlines, as the Pelicans followed with their hiring of Alvin Gentry the next day and rumors mounted about the Bulls and their seemingly inevitable partnership with Fred Hoiberg. Orlando made a nonetheless significant move, and we’ll pass along some of the ripples still emanating from it here:

GM Rob Hennigan didn’t directly answer a question from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel about whether Tom Thibodeau was ever a factor in Orlando’s coaching search, but Thibs wasn’t among those the team interviewed, as the Sentinel’s Josh Robbins reported earlier. The Magic didn’t land a marquee name, but they ended up with a coach who’s well-respected among his peers, including Pistons boss and former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, and who’ll lend the team a tenacious personality, Bianchi writes.
Skiles was confident that he’d get another NBA head coaching job after his third such stint ended when the Bucks fired him midway through the 2012/13 season, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The former Suns, Bulls and Bucks coach indicated that he spoke with NBA teams that showed interest in him during each of the two offseasons that passed between the end of his time in Milwaukee and Friday’s hiring in Orlando.
He doesn’t have a reputation as a player’s coach, but Elfrid Payton and Maurice Harkless told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders for his NBA AM piece that they’re on board with the hire, and Harkless, about to enter the final season of his rookie scale contract, was particularly effusive.