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Portland Trail Blazers: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) shoots the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) shoots the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Portland Trail Blazers
Apr 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) dunks over Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford (11) in the second half in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Mo’ For Mo

Maurice Harkless was one of Portland’s restricted free agents that many assumed could be pried away with the right offer from the right team. A max offer from a team like the Nets or Philadelphia 76ers seemed like it’d be enough to land someone like an Allen Crabbe or a Mo Harkless.

But when Olshey matched Brooklyn’s offer for Crabbe, nothing ever materialized for Harkless, giving Portland their opening to re-sign him to a four-year, $40 million deal.

A 23-year-old small forward coming off his first season in Portland, Harkless flashed some signs of potential under Terry Stotts, averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game. He didn’t get too many minutes until the end of the season, but he was efficient, shooting 47.4 percent from the field. He also has the height and length to be a small-ball 4 in certain lineups.

In his 14 starts last year, Harkless put up 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting. However, he didn’t shoot the ball exceedingly well from three-point range, converting 27.9 percent of his attempts on the season.

Paying $10 million a season for a player with upside makes sense, but he’s also still on the fringe of the rotation. Under the microscope of all the other long-term money Olshey dished out on similarly unproven players with potential, it’s not exactly a slam dunk.

Grade: C-

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