Tue, Jul 14, 2015 at 1:44pm

HARKLESS HEISTED? PORTLAND MAY HAVE PILFERED A FUTURE STARTER

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired swingman Maurice Harkless from the Orlando Magic for a conditional 2nd-round draft pick in 2020.

What does it give the Portland Trail Blazers
A few years from now this deal might prove to be a steal for the Blazers. In the wake of cornerstone player LaMarcus Aldridge leaving this summer, Portland GM Neil Olshey has not stopped hustling in his effort to rebuild quickly with emerging young players. Harkless can be just one such player; he has the goods to eventually be an above-average starter if he keeps developing ideally.

What does it give the Orlando Magic
This was a bit of a tough call for the Magic, but Harkless was getting passed on the depth chart by even younger players and became expendable when Orlando drafted Mario Hezonja in June. So ultimately, for the Magic this is about clarifying a young rotation and saving some cash in the process.

Fantasy impact
Portland's roster has been mostly overhauled this off-season, so Harkless should have more chances to win playing time on the Blazers than he had last season on the Magic. That said, he still probably faces an uphill battle to become a rotation guy soon (so is more a keeper type of fantasy pick at this point). On the Orlando side of things, expect rookie Mario Hezonja and second-year swingman Devin Marble to see more opportunities off the bench than they would have with Harkless around.