Memphis Grizzlies: Revisiting Chandler Parsons Signing
By AJ Salah
Maurice Harkless – 4 yrs/$40 million
Harkless struggled to establish himself in three years as part of Orlando’s identity crisis, but had a mild breakout for Portland in 2016-17.
His efficient two-way play stood out on a roster whose defense leaked worse than the Trump administration. Harkless was the only Blazer to appear in more than 61 games and post a positive defensive box plus-minus.
While his shooting from distance was merely average (35% on 2.5 attempts), he shot a stellar .572 inside the arc. That placed him ahead of shooting efficiency staples like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Enes Kanter and Hassan Whiteside. Range be damned, Harkless was no Rudy Gay.
His deal brings the same cap flexibility as Dudley’s contract would have, with an added upside freeroll (he’s still only 24) given his strides in just one year. There could’ve still been long-range improvement to extract from a guy who’s already a good value at present.
Hypothetical Grade: B+