Philadelphia 76ers big man Montrezl Harrell suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee during an offseason workout, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
It’s possible Harrell could miss the entire 2023-24 season.
Harrell is re-signed with the Sixers in July as an unrestricted free agent. The forward averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds last season in 57 games. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year shot 59.8% from the field and 69.3% from the free-throw line.
The 29-year-old Harrell only played seven minutes in the 2023 playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. The Sixers lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games despite having a 3-2 lead in the series.
Harrell has career averages of 12.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Sixers. Philadelphia fired Doc Rivers as head coach and hired former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who guided the Raptors to the 2019 championship over the Golden State Warriors in six games.
The Sixers are currently dealing with James Harden’s trade request. The former NBA MVP opted into his 2023-24 player option and wants to get traded to the Clippers. Harden intends to never play for the Sixers again, league sources told NBA Analysis Network.
After Harden learned about the Sixers’ plans to not give him a max deal, he opted into his player option and requested a trade. The 10-time All-Star believes he should be compensated fairly after averaging 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists last season while shooting 44.1% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line.
Patrick Beverley, who played with Harden and Harrell on the Rockets, signed with the Sixers. Mo Bamba also signed with Philadelphia, who lost Shake Milton to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Georges Niang to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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