Montrezl Harrell Could Land on Sixers’ Radar Soon

Should the Sixers give Montrezl Harrell a look now that his legal situation is cleared up?

NBA teams searching for a backup big man likely have been paying close attention to the veteran center, Montrezl Harrell, and his legal situation.

Back in June, Harrell was at a traffic stop in Richmond, Kentucky, when he was arrested and facing possible drug charges. According to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Harrell’s car had a marijuana odor during the traffic stop. 

Harrell admitted “to being in possession of marijuana.” After the vehicle was searched, police reportedly discovered three pounds of marijuana in a backpack in the car, per Boone.

For the last couple of months, Harrell has been facing felony drug charges. As a result, the NBA veteran has had a quiet offseason as teams were likely waiting to see what’s next for Harrell’s legal situation.

Reduced Charges

Free agent forward Montrezl Harrell had felony charges of marijuana trafficking reduced to a misdemeanor possession in a Madison County (KY) Courthouse today. Charge will be expunged from his record after 12 months if Harrell gets in no further legal trouble.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2022

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harrell had his felony charges reduced to a misdemeanor this week. The charge will be expunged from his record after 12 months if Harrell avoids getting into any further legal trouble, according to Wojnarowski.

As expected, the reduced charges are the first step toward Harrell finding himself another opportunity to play in the NBA.

Could the Sixers Take a Look at Harrell?

The Sixers’ roster looks improved on paper compared to last season, but it isn’t worry-free.

Behind Sixers star center Joel Embiid, there are question marks. After DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap struggled to fill the void of the traded Andre Drummond last year during the regular season, the Sixers expectedly moved on from the veterans this offseason.

And while Paul Reed had an impressive playoff run behind Embiid last year, it’s unclear if Sixers head coach Doc Rivers is ready to give Reed the full-time backup position. 

Having Reed and Charles Bassey compete for backup five minutes is a realistic route the Sixers could take to start the 2022-2023 season, but Philly has been linked to some frontcourt veterans, which shows they are still keeping an eye on the market for possible signings.

With his legal situation cleared up, Harrell becomes an obvious potential candidate to land on the 76ers as he has multiple connections in Philadelphia.

During the 2015 NBA Draft, Harrell was selected 32nd overall by the Houston Rockets. At the time, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey was running the front office in Houston.

In addition to Morey, Harrell played for the Los Angeles Clippers for two seasons during Doc Rivers’ time as the Clippers’ head coach.

Harrell will likely draw considerable interest in the free agency market, so there will be competition to sign him if the Sixers get involved. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.