Montrezl Harrell (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly landed a veteran free agent on Tuesday, the best remaining big man still on the market.
The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly landed veteran free agent Montrezl Harrell on Tuesday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Harrell will be a good addition to Philadelphia and will help relieve some pressure off Joel Embiid, one of the most successful players on the Sixers.
During the regular season last year, Harrell averaged 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, two assists and 23.1 minutes per game. He is nowhere near as effective as Embiid but he’s a nice stopgap off the bench and his pick-and-roll play will help James Harden.
His signing was likely delayed by a criminal case in Kentucky. Harrell was arrested last spring and found with several bags of marijuana in his car. He was initially charged with trafficking which could have resulted in up to five years in prison. That charge was eventually reduced to a misdemeanor, opening the door for the 76ers to sign him.
James Harden helped get Montrezl Harrell onto the 76ers
According to Wojnarowski, Harden had a big part in getting Harrell onto the 76ers.
Wojnarowski Tweeted, “James Harden played a part in bringing Harrell to Philadelphia too — both with his contract creating roster flexibility and recruiting him to take on the role of backup center with the Sixers. They have history together with the Rockets.”
Harrell also has history with Embiid, but in a completely different way. The two played against each other last season and clearly got angry with one another, grabbing each other by the jersey before being broken up.
Harrell was ejected and according to NBC Sports Philadelphia, he had no regrets about his actions. Hopefully, the two will get along better as teammates.