Getty Moe Harkless and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
Despite mounting frustrations with losses piling up, New York Knicks wing Moe Harkless has decided to stay with the team despite having multiple championship-caliber suitors.
Harkless was traded to his hometown Knicks in a deal that sent forward Marcus Morris to the Clippers before the deadline. Harkless was considered to be a prime buyout target, but instead embraced the experience of playing in New York. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that Harkless and the Knicks have had no talks of a buyout with the deadline approaching for players to sign with new teams and be playoff eligbile.
“No deadline buyout discussions with Knicks and F Mo Harkless, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski reported on Twitter. “He will finish season with New York, despite some options with contenders. Sunday is deadline for players to be waived and become eligible for a playoff roster elsewhere.”
No deadline buyout discussions with Knicks and F Mo Harkless, league sources tell ESPN. He will finish season with New York, despite some options with contenders. Sunday is deadline for players to be waived and become eligible for a playoff roster elsewhere.
Moe Harkless Expressed Frustration After Knicks Latest Loss
Harkless looked throughly fed up after the Knicks loss to Philadelphia earlier in the week. When asked if it was hard to go from a contender to the 17-42 Knicks, he replied with a simple, “Yeah.”
Moe Harkless on if it’s been hard to go from a contending team in the Clippers to a team with six straight losses in the Knicks:
“Yeah.”
Harkless later responded on Twitter saying: “Lol is there any other way to answer that question?”
The Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers were at the top of the list when it came to suitors for Harkless if he was bought out. However, Harkless has expressed that he wants to finish out the season playing for the Knicks, despite being out of the playoff picture.
“I’ll be here the rest of the year,” he told the New York Daily News. “It is definitely an adjustment with the way things are. Everything is different, the culture and everything. It’s just basketball so we just have to go out there and play — we’re still trying to win games. It’s not like we’re trying to lose. Guys are still competitors. It’s just a different situation.”
Harkless has played four games for the Knicks, starting two. He’s averaged 23.5 minutes in those contests, scoring 4.8 points per game.
Playing in New York Huge Incentive for Moe Harkless
GettyMoe Harkless of the New York Knicks.
Harkless was the 15th overall pick in the 2012 draft. He’s never been able to break out as a star but has been a key role player on multiple teams and has a reputation as one of the stingier perimeter defenders in the league. This season, Harkless is averaging 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and one steal in 22.9 minutes per game.
After the trade from LA, Harkless called playing in New York “a dream come true.”
“It means a lot to me, being from the city, growing up watching the Knicks, loving the Knicks. Being here is a great feeling. I’m excited and grateful. It’s a dream come true,” Harkless told reporters, via SNY. “I was a Knicks fan growing up. I loved watching the Knicks on TV, I loved coming to the Garden for games when I could. And I actually played at the Garden in college, too, so it’s like I’ve come full circle now.”
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