Maurice José "Moe" Harkless (born May 11, 1993) is an American-Puerto Rican professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who is currently a free agent. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the St. John's Red Storm before being drafted 15th overall, after his freshman season, in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. Harkless has represented the Puerto Rican national team.

High school career

Harkless was born and adopted in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He attended Forest Hills High School in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, before transferring to

South Kent School South Kent School, a private all-boys boarding school in South Kent, Connecticut, United States, is located on a campus in western Litchfield County. It is sited on Spooner Hill east of Bull's Bridge, overlooking the former Housatonic Valley ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

prior to his senior season. He earned all-metro honors from both the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Doughert ...

'' and ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' in 2008–09 and 2009–10, in addition to being named the ''New York Daily Newss Queens High School Player of the Year in 2009–10 after averaging 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. At South Kent in 2010–11, he averaged 27.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.1 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. He was named MVP at the 2011 Yo Mama Classic in Philadelphia.

College career

Harkless played and started all 32 games during his freshman season at St. John's University in 2011–12, averaging 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.59 steals, and 1.41 blocks in 36.1 minutes per game. He led the Red Storm in rebounding, blocked shots and minutes played, while finishing second in scoring and steals. He ranked second in the nation among freshmen in rebounding and sixth in scoring. He was named the Big East Rookie of the Year and earned All-Big East Honorable Mention. He scored in double figures 26 times and had 20-plus points seven times, including a career-high 32 points against Providence on December 27. He also recorded 11 double-doubles. In March 2012, Harkless declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2012–2015)

Maurice Harkless, Washington at Orlando 085

On June 28, 2012, Harkless was selected with the 15th overall pick in the

by the Philadelphia 76ers. On August 10, 2012, he was traded from Philadelphia to the Orlando Magic as part of a four-team, 12-player deal. Harkless impressed in his first NBA season, averaging 8.2 points per game and providing good defense. He scored in double figures 29 times and had 20-plus points four times, including a career-high 28 points on April 1 against the Houston Rockets. He recorded one double-double during the season, registering 19 points and a career-high 14 rebounds on February 2 against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. He had at least one steal in 50 games and two-or-more steals 22 times, including a career-high six steals on March 15 against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. Harkless began the 2013–14 season starting alongside

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

and

Jameer Nelson Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Ha ...

. When

Victor Oladipo Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where in the 2012-2013 sea ...

was inserted into the starting lineup, coach

Jacque Vaughn Jacque T. Vaughn (born February 11, 1975) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He serves as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing career High school A native of Pasadena ...

opted to play combinations of Nelson, Oladipo, Afflalo and

Tobias Harris Tobias John Harris (born July 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before declar ...

on the wing. As a result of the backlogged situation, Harkless' minutes decreased from his rookie season. He scored in double figures 30 times and had 20+ points three times, including a season-high 22 points on January 6 against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

and February 25 against the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. He had one double-double during the season, recording 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds on March 8 against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. He recorded at least one steal 54 times and had two-or-more steals 31 times, including a season-high five steals on March 5 against Houston. During the 2013–14 season, Harkless averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. He improved his 3-point shooting, increasing his accuracy from 27.4 percent as a rookie to 38.3 percent in his second year. Harkless bottomed out in 2014–15, receiving minimal playing time and creating questions about his future. He played in only a career-low 45 games during his third season in Orlando despite good health. Harkless sat behind fellow forwards Tobias Harris and

Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...

during the 2014–15 season and averaged just 15 minutes per game. On March 18 against the Dallas Mavericks, Harkless started for Harris and played 36 minutes. He scored 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including two 3-pointers, grabbed six rebounds and recorded four steals. In the next game however against the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, Harkless missed five of six shots and finished with just two points in 28 minutes. He made little impact the rest of the season.

Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2019)

On July 14, 2015, Harkless was traded to the

in exchange for a 2020 second round draft pick. He worked his way up from the end of the bench to starter by the end of the 2015–16 season. Portland began to play small late in the season by inserting Harkless into the lineup. After averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds a game during the regular season, Harkless rode his inspired play into the playoffs, boosting his numbers to 11 points and 5.1 rebounds respectively. On February 10, 2016, he set season highs with 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 116–103 win over the Houston Rockets. On April 5, 2016, he recorded a season-high 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 115–107 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. A

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

over the summer, Harkless was expected to be re-signed, but when the Trail Blazers added

Evan Turner Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall ...

and reacquired Allen Crabbe, it appeared Harkless would be heading elsewhere. However, on July 27, 2016, Harkless signed a four-year, $40 million contract to remain with the team. After experimenting with various lineups early in the preseason, coach

Terry Stotts Terry Linn Stotts (born November 25, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a playing as a f ...

quickly settled back on Harkless as the starting small forward, a position he would hold on to for the majority of the season. After a scoreless, single-rebound performance on opening night against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, Harkless put up 23 points and eight rebounds in the second game of the season against the

on October 27. Harkless scored a season high-tying 23 points on November 30 against the Indiana Pacers. Harkless improved his 3-point shooting during the 2016–17 season, increasing his average from 28 percent to 35 percent. It was reported that Harkless was due a $500,000 bonus if he shot 35 percent or better from the 3-point line. Sitting at .351 with four games to go, Harkless declined to attempt a 3-pointer for the rest of the season, even sitting out one of the four games for unrelated reasons. Harkless started the 2017–18 season as the starting small forward, before losing the spot after averaging 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds over his first 18 games. On December 23, he scored a season-high 22 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He found himself in and out of the rotation until an injury to

in February saw Harkless return to the starting line-up. He appeared in 59 games in 2017–18 after surgery in late March to his left knee saw him sit out the last nine games of the regular season and two of Portland's four playoff games. Over the first half of the 2018–19 season, Harkless missed 14 games because of his troublesome left knee. On April 9, 2019, he scored 26 points and hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Trail Blazers to a 104–101 win over the Lakers.

Los Angeles Clippers (2019–2020)

On July 6, 2019, Harkless was traded to the

along with a protected first round pick from the

as part of a four-team trade, in which Miami acquired

Jimmy Butler Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets", he is a six-time NBA All-Star, a four-time All-NBA Team honore ...

and the

acquired

Hassan Whiteside Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before being s ...

New York Knicks (2020)

On February 6, 2020, Harkless was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Marcus Morris in a three-team deal along with the

, with Los Angeles sending

Jerome Robinson Jerome Robinson (born February 22, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played college basketball with the Boston College Eagles. He was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in th ...

to Washington in exchange for Isaiah Thomas.

Miami Heat (2020–2021)

On November 23, 2020, Harkless signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Sacramento Kings (2021–2022)

On March 25, 2021, Harkless and Chris Silva were traded to the

in exchange for

Nemanja Bjelica Nemanja Bjelica ( sr-cyr, Немања Бјелица, ; born 9 May 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Basketball Super League and EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Serbian national basketball team ...

. On August 7, 2021, Harkless re-signed with the Kings. On July 6, 2022, Harkless was traded to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

along with

Justin Holiday Justin Alaric Holiday (born April 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He won an NBA championship w ...

and a 2024 first-round draft pick in exchange for

Kevin Huerter Kevin Joseph Huerter (; born August 27, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Red Velvet", he played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. ...

. Later in the off-season, on September 27, he was traded again to the

with a second-round pick for

Vít Krejčí Vít Krejčí (born 19 June 2000) is a Czech professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life and career Krejčí was born in Strakonice, Czech Republic and played basketball for the ...

to get Atlanta under the luxury tax. Three days later, on September 30, Harkless was traded again, along with

Ty Jerome Ty Jeremy Jerome (born July 8, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played coll ...

Derrick Favors Derrick Bernard Favors (born July 15, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Favors played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season before being selected by the New Jersey N ...

Théo Maledon Théo Louis Maledon (born 12 June 2001; pronounced ) is a French professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He plays ...

and a future second-round pick, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for David Nwaba, Sterling Brown,

Trey Burke Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–13 season, he earne ...

, and

Marquese Chriss Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was sel ...

. On October 11, he was waived.

National team career

In January 2014, Harkless declared his interest in playing for

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup following a series of meetings with coach

Paco Olmos Francisco Olmos Hernández (born July 10, 1970), usually known as Paco Olmos, is a Spanish professional basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the San Pablo Burgos of the Spanish LEB Oro. Coaching career Olmos coached inferior tea ...

. However, he later withdrew his name from contention in July 2014 in favor of preparing for the

2014–15 NBA season The 2014–15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA draft took place on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The re ...

. A year later, he debuted for the Puerto Rican national team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 76 , , 59 , , 26.0 , , .461 , , .274 , , .570 , , 4.4 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 41 , , 24.4 , , .464 , , .383 , , .594 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 4 , , 15.0 , , .399 , , .179 , , .537 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .7 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 78 , , 14 , , 18.7 , , .474 , , .279 , , .622 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , .4 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 77 , , 69 , , 28.9 , , .503 , , .351 , , .621 , , 4.4 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 59 , , 36 , , 21.4 , , .495 , , .415 , , .712 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .8 , , .7 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 60 , , 53 , , 23.6 , , .487 , , .275 , , .671 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 50 , , 38 , , 22.8 , , .516 , , .370 , , .571 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 12 , , 10 , , 23.8 , , .455 , , .280 , , .625 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 11 , , 3 , , 11.3 , , .385 , , .455 , , .000 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 26 , , 20 , , 24.9 , , .421 , , .247 , , .805 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 47 , , 24 , , 18.4 , , .459 , , .307 , , .714 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .6 , , .5 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 621 , , 371 , , 22.6 , , .474 , , .320 , , .624 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , .6 , , 6.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 11 , , 11 , , 24.7 , , .427 , , .341 , , .480 , , 5.1 , , .6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 4 , , 24.8 , , .294 , , .167 , , .875 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 2 , , 1 , , 26.5 , , .538 , , .333 , , – , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .5 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 16 , , 16 , , 24.3 , , .477 , , .250 , , .639 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 8.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 33 , , 32 , , 24.6 , , .436 , , .289 , , .609 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 9.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", St. John's , 32 , , 32 , , 36.1 , , .452 , , .215 , , .676 , , 8.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , 15.5

Personal life

Harkless is the son of Rosa Harkless. He has one sister, Shakima Harkless, and a brother, Tyler Rodgers. His maternal grandfather is from Puerto Rico. He was raised by grandmother Barbara Harkless.

References

External links

St. John's Red Storm bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkless, Maurice 1993 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Basketball players from New York City Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni Los Angeles Clippers players Miami Heat players New York Knicks players Orlando Magic players Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Puerto Rican men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards South Kent School alumni St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople