LA Clippers: Buy or sell on Montrezl Harrell and each pending free agent

LA Clippers: Free agents to sell

Montrezl Harrell

There were some outlier great performances in the NBA bubble, and there were some equal and opposite poor performances. One of those poor performances belonged to Montrezl Harrell, and the worst time for that is when you’re going into a contract year as he is. Doc Rivers’ dogged reliance on him even when he was struggling and ineffective against the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic was no small part of why the Clippers decided it was time to part ways with him.

It’s not to say that Harrell isn’t a useful NBA player, but Ivica Zubac is likely to maintain his grip on the starting center spot, and Harrell is due for a big payday. There will be better ways for the Clippers to spend their money than to pay up for a backup center, so unless the market for his services completely deteriorates, it’ll be better for both team and player if they can start over apart.

Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson had some nice moments with the Clippers after getting bought out by the Detroit Pistons, but his poor defense has revealed itself as unfitting for a team with the kind of championship aspirations that they hold. Imagine the tragedy of watching Jackson trying to do anything at all on defense against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in a playoff series against the Golden State Warriors. He can be just fine on a team with more fitting goals, but this isn’t the situation for him.

Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah was a solid veteran presence in the locker room in the NBA bubble, but he did display that he’s essentially washed up. Considering the Clippers will want to make sure that every spot on the roster can contribute if needed, Noah likely doesn’t figure to play a role going forward.