76ers reunite with former Sixth Man of the Year

Free-agent big man Montrezl Harrell is returning to the Sixers on a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Harrell became a free agent when he declined his veteran’s minimum-salary option for next season. He settled for another veteran’s minimum contract that’s fully guaranteed, per Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice.

Harrell signed with Philadelphia last September on a two-year, minimum-salary contract that gave him the ability to opt out after the first season. The 29-year-old appeared in 57 games in 2022-23, averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night. He appeared in only two postseason games.

Prior to last season, Harrell had posted career averages of 12.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 21.5 MPG across 458 games, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2020. His numbers this past season were his lowest since his rookie year (2015-16).

Harrell will once again fight for rotation minutes in Philadelphia, this time with Nick Nurse making those decisions.

The agreement between Harrell and the Sixers puts into question the status of restricted free agent Paul Reed. Philadelphia is adding another big man, Mohamed Bamba, on a one-year deal.