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Toronto Raptors: Examining Toronto’s buyout market options

By Jeff Borsuk

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 6: President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri and General Manager Bobby Webster of the Toronto Raptors speak to ESPN writer Zach Lowe during practice as part of the 2019 NBA Finals on June 6, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 6: President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri and General Manager Bobby Webster of the Toronto Raptors speak to ESPN writer Zach Lowe during practice as part of the 2019 NBA Finals on June 6, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors potential target – Maurice Harkless (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Maurice Harkless

It might be a longshot that Maurice Harkless gets bought out by the New York Knicks, the team that just traded for him. Harkless was involved in a three-team deal that sent him to New York, along with the draft rights to guard Issuf Sannon and a pair of draft picks. The Knicks gave up Marcus Morris to get that haul. With their seeding near the bottom of the standings, there’s no reason for them to hold onto Harkless. If he asks for his release, expect both parties to get to work on a buyout.

Harkless is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He is earning $11,011,236 this year, a figure that owner James Dolan may want to avoid paying.

Harkless is a two-way forward that would fit in well in Nick Nurse’s system. Harkless, similar to Thompson, plays the game with a lot of heart. He works very hard to get to every loose ball and isn’t afraid to use his 6’7″ frame to be physical on the court.

At age 26, this is Harkless’s eighth year in the association. In his 50 games with the Clippers this season (38 starts), he’s averaged very round numbers: 5.5 points, four rebounds, one assist and a steal per game.

Defensively, Harkless is known as an above-average defender, which appears to be the sort of player Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have looked for in the construction of this roster. If that’s still the case, the Harkless makes some sense for the dinos.

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