Former Lakers Big Man Shockingly Signs Deal With Australian Team

Matt Levine | Sep 11, 2024

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell is signing a deal to head to Australia. According to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, Harrell is signing with the Adelaide 36ers.

The deal is a short-term deal and he will be a replacement for another NBA forward, Jarrell Martin. Harrell has been a free agent but no NBA team has come calling for his services of late.

The former Sixth Man of the Year could remain with the 36ers, even if Martin does return from injury. Martin has been dealing with a patellar tendon injury, keeping him off the court since November.

Harrell could give his career another jolt if he could perform well, even in a limited capacity. He missed the entire 2023-24 season after suffering an ACL and meniscus tear, undergoing surgery to repair his issues in August of 2023.

The veteran big man wants to return to the NBA but this may be his way to show that he can still perform well. He reportedly participated in NBA minicamps ahead of this season but saw the move to Australia as the best course of action for his career.

This move was certainly surprising for Harrell but one that could potentially help down the line.

Being an undersized big man, Harrell has seen his set of challenges in the NBA. He only spent one season with the Lakers but was played off the court at different times due to his inability to guard bigger players.

In the one season with Los Angeles, Harrell averaged 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Los Angeles did make the playoffs but proceeded to ship Harrell to the Washington Wizards after the year was done in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

The big man's best season came in 2020 when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, giving a massive spark to the Clippers off the bench.

But his stay with the Clippers went sour, ultimately leading him to land with the Lakers. The hope is that Harrell can get back to the NBA at some point and continue his career.

He is still only 30 years old so there is plenty of time to make a comeback. For his career, he has averaged 12.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game over 515 career games.

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