The NBA offseason is slowly heating up as the final stage of the 2024-25 postseason looms. It won't be much longer until NBA free agency opens at the start of July, leaving aging veterans looking for any potential destinations to help extend their playing careers.
Free agency also offers an opportunity for former NBA veterans playing overseas to return to North America. Montrezl Harrell — who was drafted 32nd overall by the Houston Rockets in 2015 — is one player whom fans were monitoring this offseason after he spent the last two years playing basketball in Australia, China, and Puerto Rico.
As much as some Rockets fans wouldn't mind seeing Harrell play one more year in the Association, the latest update regarding his future likely spells the end of his NBA career.
Former Rockets C Montrezl Harrell's NBA Career Likely Over After Overseas News
On Tuesday night, ESPN insider Olgun Uluc reported that Harrell has signed a one-year contract with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League. The former Louisville Cardinal previously spent the 2024-25 NBL campaign with the 36ers before spending spring with China's Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Puerto Rico's Gigantes de Carolina.
Harrell's new deal with the 36ers likely signals the end of his NBA career. Even though the former Sixth Man of the Year only turned 31 in January, his signing another overseas contract suggests there wasn't much interest on the NBA side of things. Otherwise, he likely would've delayed his decision until July.
If this truly is the end, Harrell will finish his career with 515 NBA regular-season games played, 97 of which were played in a Rockets jersey. The Tarboro, NC native averaged 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and a 65.1% field-goal percentage during his two seasons with Houston before being traded to the L.A. Clippers in the June 2017 deal that saw the Rockets acquire Chris Paul.
Harrell went on to become one of the NBA's top bench players during the time with the Clippers, which includes averaging career-highs in points (18.6) and rebounds (7.1) when he was named the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
His career hasn't been the same since leaving the Clippers, though, proven by brief runs with the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers since November 2020. Things took a turn for the worse when he tore his ACL in the lead-up to the 2023-24 season, forcing him to look overseas for work.
Harrell was one of the NBL's best players last season, averaging 20.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and a 56.0 FG% in 26 games with the 36ers. He followed up that performance by putting up 12.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and a 58.6 FG% across eight outings with the Flying Tigers.
Unless he completely dominates the NBL, it's hard to imagine Harrell playing another NBA game. The silver lining is that the ex-Rockets center made over $39.4 million in career earnings throughout his time in the league, per Spotrac, meaning he should be able to enjoy a comfortable life if he never plays in the Association again.