Maurice Harkless never failed to live up to his potential with the Orlando Magic. He was never given the minutes to cash in on his talent.

With that out of the way, the Magic made the right decision to part ways with the maligned guard-forward hybrid. When Orlando traded for him three years ago, he was seen by the Magic brass as the player who would be able lockdown opposing wing players for the team.

But thanks to former head coach Jacque Vaughn’s crazy lineup combinations, Harkless’ talent was suppressed, and by the end of last season, he found himself riding the bench. If Maurice would have stayed in Orlando, he would have found himself struggling to find playing time behind the likes of Victor Oladipo, Mario Henzonja, C.J. Watson and Tobias Harris.

So it was more than apt for the Magic to deal him to either a contending team that needed help in the backcourt, or a rebuilding team where he could easily get playing time. Orlando chose the latter, sending him to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future second-round pick.

The trade made so much sense for both teams. The Blazers need some backcourt depth, and the Magic needed to shed a player who didn’t fit into their future plans. Now that Harkless is gone, the Magic have a much clearer picture of what their lineup will look like heading into next season.

Harkless showed some promise while he was in Central Florida, but now he will have the opportunity to develop into what he can be in Portland because it simply wasn’t going to happen in the Magic Kingdom.

Kareem Gantt covers the wide world of sports for Rant Sports. Want to know what’s on his mind? Follow him on Twitter at @kganttwrites.