Montrezl Harrell is trying to work his way back into the NBA, and that alone gives the Celtics something to think about. Courtside Buzz reported that the former Sixth Man of the Year will attend open tryouts for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate, on September 12.
Harrell, who is 32, last appeared in the league in 2022-23. That season, he played 57 games for the Philadelphia 76ers and posted 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in a little under 12 minutes per night.
Boston can see the appeal. Harrell has eight years of NBA experience, and his name still carries weight because of what he once brought to a bench unit.
But the Celtics are also staring at a financial reality that makes this a tough fit. They’re $1.7 million below the luxury tax, and a veteran-minimum deal for Harrell would count $2.4 million against the cap.
That matters. Before the Celtics even get to whether Harrell is still good enough to help, they have to weigh the cost of adding him under a punitive collective bargaining agreement. On that front, the cleaner move looks like not signing him.
The timing gives Boston some flexibility, though. Teams can work underneath the luxury tax and the aprons through the end of the league year, which means the Celtics could add Harrell now and sort out the rest later. A trade or an injury could open up room to keep him.
Still, the roster picture complicates things. Boston already has 14 players on standard contracts with secure spots, which is why a two-way deal for someone like Devin Carter, whom they reportedly have interest in, would be easier to manage.
If the Celtics do use their 15th roster spot on Harrell, Carter, or anyone else, that player would become the most likely candidate to be waived if Boston needs to dip back below the luxury tax before the league year ends.
And even if the basketball case is there, there are limits. Harrell is an undersized power forward who hasn’t played in the NBA in three years, and his production fell sharply in his final season with the Sixers.
There is still a version of the argument in his favor. If he proves at the Vipers’ tryout that he belongs on an NBA roster, the case gets stronger. He’s only 32, and he hasn’t exactly been idle; Harrell has most recently played internationally in Puerto Rico, Australia, and China, and he also appeared in the Big3.
He can bring energy, help on the boards at both ends, and tilt the possession battle. In the four seasons before his last NBA campaign, he averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. He’s also a solid screener and a dependable finisher near the rim.
Even so, Boston has another factor sitting right in front of it: the development of its first-round pick, Chris Cenac Jr. If the Celtics are deciding how to use their final roster spot, that minutes question hangs over any Harrell discussion.
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