BREAKING: Philadelphia 76ers To Sign Montrezl Harrell
Looking to upgrade their depth behind five-time All-Star center Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers are signing former Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell to a two-year contract that includes a player option for the 2023-24 season, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Harrell, 28, entered this offseason as one of the better big man free agents available, but off-the-court issues forced many teams around the league to hold off on pursuing him.
On May 12, Harrell was pulled over by a Kentucky state trooper for following the vehicle in front of him too closely. When state trooper also noted in the report that he ““observed odor of marijuana” and stated that Harrell “admitted to being in possession of marijuana and produced a small amount from his sweatpants,” according to the police records.
Facing felony drug charges connected to this traffic stop, Harrell had his felony charge of marijuana trafficking reduced to a misdemeanor possession charge in a Madison County Courthouse in Kentucky on August 31. Pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge, the seven-year NBA veteran will have this taken off of his record after 12 months if he gets in no further legal trouble.
The Philadelphia 76ers will be Montrezl Harrell’s fifth NBA team in the last four seasons. Entering his eighth season in the league now, Harrell has played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and most recently, the Charlotte Hornets.
Playing in a total of 71 games last season, Harrell averaged 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 64.5% from the floor.
A “bruiser-like” big man in the paint, Montrezl Harrell’s physicality has led him to be a terrific secondary talent off-the-bench and this was one of the main reasons why he won the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year award with the Clippers.
He is now reunited in Philadelphia with head coach Doc Rivers, who was the head coach of the Clippers when Harrell won this award, and will be the team’s first option off-the-bench in the frontcourt behind Joel Embiid, giving the MVP-like big man some much needed help.
The Philadelphia 76ers will open up the 2022-23 season on the road against the Boston Celtics on October 18.
