Montrezl Harrell signing with the Los Angeles Lakers surprised a lot of people, including the Clippers, the team he represented for the last three years. Harrell and the Clippers suffered a painful defeat against the Denver Nuggets in the Orlando bubble, blowing a 3-1 lead in the second round of the postseason. After that, several rumors suggested the team’s locker room was broken and some players didn’t want to continue playing with others.
Harrell apparently was one of those with his rumored rift with Paul George. A couple of months after that moment, Harrell decided to take his talents to the Lakers, boosting that team’s roster with his presence. When asked if the Clippers didn’t want to re-sign him, Harrell made it clear that they didn’t. Otherwise, he’d be still with them.
“Apparently not, if I’m on the other side,” he said a couple of days ago.
That response didn’t please anybody and former NBA player-turned-analyst Jalen Rose reacted to that, explaining why the Clippers didn’t want to keep Harrell on the payroll after his poor performances in the bubble (0:12 mark).
“He ruined some of his value by playing poorly in the playoffs. You’re going to see a lot of people get big deals this offseason. The reason why he didn’t get a long-term deal is because he was a defensive liability that the Joker [Nikola Jokic] continued to take advantage of, to the point that they had to take him out of the game.”
“If the Clippers stepped up and signed him to a big deal or if Charlotte would have given him a big deal, or if any team would have given him a big deal, guess what? He would have signed with that team,” said Jalen. “He signed with the Lakers because they were offering him a two-year deal, an opportunity to win a championship, and he hopes to replay his value as somebody that won Sixth Man of The Year.”
Nobody except Harrell and the Lakers liked that decision. Nevertheless, Harrell couldn’t care less about what everybody thinks, sending a big message to the haters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ql-SMCj1-8
Harrell is ready to start a new chapter in his NBA career with the purple and gold now, trying to win that longed-for ring. The Clippers added Serge Ibaka in an attempt to replace him, so the picture doesn’t look that bad for them. If you ask Jalen Rose, he’d probably tell you they upgraded from Harrell to Ibaka.
