Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year sticking it out in Australian league

Harrell initially joined the 36ers as a short-term replacement for injured forward Jarell Martin, but has performed well enough to prompt the team to try to work out a deal to keep him around after Martin returns. Olgun Uluc of ESPN first reported that the two sides were in talks about a longer-term contract, noting that Adelaide will have to deactivate a local player in order to have both Martin and Harrell active.

Harrell, 30, has 515 regular-season NBA appearances under his belt, with career averages of 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest. He earned Sixth Man of the Year votes for four straight years from 2019-22 with the Clippers, Lakers, Wizards and Hornets, winning the award as a Clipper in 2020 when he averaged 18.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 63 games.

The 6-foot-7 forward/center spent the 2022-23 season with the Sixers and re-signed with Philadelphia during the 2023 offseason, but suffered a torn ACL and medial meniscus tear shortly after finalizing that contract. That injury, which required surgery, cost him the entire 2023-24 campaign and prompted the 76ers to waive him last October.

Harrell has looked fully recovered during his first few games in Australia, though. He has averaged a double-double in his first six contests for the 36ers, scoring 15.7 points and grabbing a team-high 10.3 rebounds per contest.

The NBL regular season ends around the time of the NBA trade deadline in February, with the playoffs wrapping up in March. That means — as Scotto notes — that if Harrell impresses in Adelaide, he’d be a free agent to watch in the late winter or early spring for NBA clubs seeking frontcourt help.