When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Montrezl Harrell last offseason, they were hoping that the big man could help the team repeat as champions this year.
But following a disappointing postseason run, Harrell was expected by some people to decline his player option this offseason and look for an opportunity elsewhere in the NBA.
Instead, he reportedly may be inclined to opt in.
“[Dennis] Schroder will decide his fate as an unrestricted free agent, regardless of what L.A. might prefer,” wrote Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “The Lakers could try to executive a similar move with [Alex] Caruso or [Talen] Horton-Tucker, or one for [Chris] Paul without a sign-and-trade built around Montrezl Harrell, [Kyle] Kuzma and [Kentavious] Caldwell-Pope. That would require Harrell to pick up his $9.7 million player option, which might not be an issue. The most recent intel on Harrell suggests he may be leaning toward opting in.”
If Harrell does pick up his player option, he could still serve as a serviceable backup center or power forward for the Lakers. There is also the possibility that the team could use him as a trade chip in a deal, as Pincus alluded to.
In his lone season with the Lakers, Harrell averaged 13.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Only time will tell if the 2020 Sixth Man of the Year has played his last game in a Lakers uniform.
