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After making a deal with veteran winger Wesley Matthews earlier in the night, the Los Angeles Lakers will also sign Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $ 19 million contract, according to Athlete’s Shams Charania. The deal will include a player option for the second season and will likely cost the Lakers their mid-tier exception for non-taxpayers. Harrell was offered more money by the Charlotte Hornets, according to the Brad Turner of LA Times. Harrell played for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, winning the sixth man of the year for the Lakers’ biggest rival. Now he’s crossing the hallway at Staples Center to join the Lakers.
The move is surprising given the Lakers were supposed to target. Names like Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka made sense to the Lakers, who struggled to space the pitch last season when Anthony Davis played forward. A great shooting man might have eased those issues, but Harrell has only taken 50 3-pointers in his career. He’s also a pretty disappointing defender. At 6-8, he’s too small to defend the best crosses, but he’s never been particularly strong on the perimeter either. That’s part of the reason the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.
What he brings to the table is some terrific attacking play inside the arc. He’s one of the best basketball players, and his partnership with Dennis Schroder off the bench should work just as well as his old union with Lou Williams. His energy is also a major selling point, and his offensive rebound should help fill the void left by Dwight Howard.
It’s hard not to see Harrell, at least in part, as a replacement for Howard. What makes this deal so questionable for the Lakers is the price. Howard signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for the minimum. Harrell gets the full mid-level exception. The opportunity cost is enormous. If Howard could have provided most of what Harrell does, the Lakers could have used that exception elsewhere to fill a different hole.
In addition to the new deal announced by Harrell, Matthews reportedly agreed to a one-year, $ 3.6 million contract, according to Athletic’s Shams Charania. The deal secures a replacement for Danny Green, who the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder earlier in the week alongside the No.28 pick. Matthews will only earn about a quarter of Green’s salary, but was a very similar player. last season. Both shot just under 37% from behind the arc, and both are playing solid defense.
Rob Pelinka probably has more moves up his sleeve, but his best card has now been played. The Lakers will be running on the sidelines from now on.
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