3 teams for former Louisville basketball star Montrezl Harrell to consider

Detroit Pistons

Before we get to far into this let me first say. For players who outperform their contracts and have breakout seasons prior to entering free agency often end up signing with teams who are near the bottom of the league or are on the come up.

That’s not always the case, but just like it was for Terry Rozier last offseason when he signed with the Charlotte Hornets, the teams with money to spend and have a need, lets just say, aren’t very good.

That description is accurate for the Detroit Pistons who could be a suitor for Harrell. The Pistons were considered a team capable of making the playoffs as a low seed in 2019-20, but suffered from a myriad of injuries and the effects from a high number of trades/acquisitions on way to a complete crash that resulted in losing both stars Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

Knee surgery missed Griffin to miss almost the majority of the season, while Drummond was apart of a baffling deadline day deal that sent him to Cleveland for a washing machine and half-eaten bag of lays chips as the Pistons looked to start their rebuild.

Now with nearly $30 million to spend, the Pistons are probably one of two teams across the NBA with significant cap space on Montrezl Harrell.

Last season was abysmal for the 20-46 Pistons, as expectations of a new coach and a new building quickly came crashing down. It was obvious that moving on from Drummond was the right move, and now with the team starting a new youth movement and “new era” there’s no better addition than Harrell.

Everything about Harrell screams Detroit. His tough-minded, blue-collar work ethic would be an instant hit with the city and its fans, reminding them of the “good ol’ days” of the Detroit Bad Boys. There are very few “intimidating” players left in the NBA, but if there was one who could remind fans of Dennis Rodman and Bill Lambier playing with reckless abandonment, it would be Harrell.

Without Drummond, Harrell would give the Pistons another nightly double-double machine (especially considering the likely uptick in playing time), an instant difference-maker defensively, a big capable of playing alongside of Griffin when healthy, and a culture setting personality in the locker room who will bring energy daily.

The Pistons don’t have a ton of pieces on the current roster, nor many tradeable assets, which is going to make the rebuild a bit more difficult than it can be for other teams, so spending a fair chunk of money on another big man may not be something the team wants to do.

However, if Harrell’s value dips a bit (as it is expected to) his ability to impact the game as an elite rim runner and rebounder and potential upside (he’s been playing in a sixth-man role for two-plus seasons) could make him an attractive target for the Pistons front office especially if the team uses their likely top-five pick on a guard or wing instead of a big man.