Are the Magic where they want to be heading out West?

Are the Magic where they want to be heading out West? by Philip Rossman-Reich

Maurice Harkless is not playing and is not part of the Magic’s rotation right now.

Why is anybody’s guess. Maybe he is not performing well in practice. Maybe he just does not fit what Jacque Vaughn and the Magic want to do right now. Maybe the Magic have other promises and ulterior motives going on that will play themselves out throughout the rest of the season.

Whatever the reason is, Harkless has appeared in only 13 of the Magic’s 21 games and is averaging a career-low 8.2 points per 36 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. Harkless is struggling when he does get in there with the pressure of trying to impress to get back on the floor.

Harkless certainly would be a better matchup at small forward than some of the lineups Vaughn is currently using. Aaron Gordon’s injury seemed like it would free up time for Harkless. Yet, he remains on the bench.

And with Harkless nearing his chance at free agency, no one is quite sure where he fits into the Magic’s plans.

That would seemingly make him an interesting trade piece moving forward. Teams will certainly come calling. But Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes the Magic’s brass likes Harkless and may not be willing to part with him, even while he struggles to get off the bench:

Harkless clearly is the bigger trade asset, however sources close to the Magic say Harkless is one of GM Rob Hennigan’s favorite guys. He is not getting consistent playing time, though, and seems to be in head coach Jacque Vaughn’s doghouse. Harkless has said he’s trying to make the best of the situation, but it is clear that if the Magic are not going to play him that moving him becomes almost inevitable.

That seems odd.

If the Magic view Harkless as part of the team’s future, you would figure he has to start getting playing time so they know for sure. Right now, it is difficult to make any conclusions about the young forward.

Something is clearly not clicking with Harkless, whether it is his relationship with his coach or his play behind the scenes in practice. At some point though, the Magic have to make a final decision and figure out what they have in him.