Moe Harkless’ dream ended too soon, cut short by the pandemic on March 11. The Queens native had 12 games and five weeks with the Knicks after being dealt at the trade deadline from the Clippers in the Marcus Morris trade.
Harkless, 27, will be a free agent in mid-October under the revamped coronavirus schedule but would love to play for Tom Thibodeau.
He met Thibodeau in Los Angeles this season when the unemployed coach sat in on several of Clippers coach Doc Rivers’ practices.
Harkless, the former St. John’s star, is a defender and Thibodeau is a defensive coach.
“It was good conversations about different things,” Harkless told The Post about his exit interview with new team president Leon Rose. “I don’t know what free agency will bring yet until October. They got a good coach,” Harkless told The Post. “Thibs is a great coach and I have a lot of respect for him. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Harkless is promoting his new online platform that supports black business owners and creators and aids black communities.
“I wanted to find different ways to help people and provide resources and point people in the right direction,” Harkless said. “I call it a resource hub, looking for ways to help different businesses and help with other things people are going through today.”
Harkless spent the first month of the pandemic in New York before heading to Los Angeles where he’s played one-on-one and two-on-two. He may join the Knicks voluntary OTAs, expected in mid-August “if it makes sense to be with my teammates.’’
Some NBA players don’t care for playing in New York. Not Harkless of South Ozone Park.
“Playing for the Knicks was always something I wanted to do,” Harkless said. “It was definitely a dream come true being at the Garden wearing the jersey. That was kind of crazy actually — being a kid from New York dreaming to play for the Knicks and doing it.”