2018 NBA free agency grades: Clippers to re-sign Montrezl Harrell
The Lon Angeles Clippers and free agent Montrezl Harrell have agreed to a two-year, $12 million, keeping the big man in L.A. for two more seasons.
The Los Angeles Clippers have managed to retain their restricted free agent by agreeing on a deal, according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Montrezl Harrell originally became a Clipper in 2017, when the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers shook hands on a multi-player trade, including superstar Chris Paul. Harrell went the other way around, making him a member of the Clippers.
Harrell entered the NBA as the 32nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, after attending Louisville. He had a pretty quiet rookie season in the NBA but he did manage to raise quite a few eyebrows as a sophomore, mainly due to his versatility and the energy he brings on the court.
After his sophomore season came the trade. As a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, Harrell would have his best season yet, averaging 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in just 17 minutes per game. What most stands out is his efficiency, as he shot 63.5 percent from the field, ranking him third among all NBA players.
Montrezl Harrell does seem like the kind of player that is about to make his big jump in the NBA. The young power forward/center is most likely going to enjoy a big increase in his minutes, especially now with superstars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan out the door.
The Clippers are now a team with no actual player to stand out as the true star on the team. The team consists of 10-12 good players, all sharing the 240 minutes on the rotation. Even if Harrell is the starting center of the team, it is kind of hard to imagine him getting more than 25 minutes of action on a regular basis.
With Tobias Harris, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Mike Scott likely to take over the power forward spot, Harrell will have to compete with Marcin Gortat and Boban Marjanovic in order to be the one fighting for the opening tip game in and game out.
Still, signing Harrell was no doubt the correct move by the Los Angeles Clippers. It is not every day that you can sign a young, athletic big man on a discount. Head coach Doc Rivers will probably find a way and squeeze all those talented guys into the rotation and compete for a playoff spot, even in the more than stacked Western Conference.
Last season, the Clippers finished the season with a winning record of 42-20, placing them five games behind the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Perhaps now, this defensive-oriented Clippers roster can make the playoffs, with a little help from their two lottery picks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, as well as their undersized big man.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: A-