Boston Celtics: Former Sixth Man of the Year pitched as Cs free agent target

Until something happens in the trade or free agent market, the main talking point around these parts will be how the Boston Celtics will replace Danilo Gallinari following the recently-signed Italian forward’s ACL tear in FIBA competition.

Boston is down a source of double-digit scoring in the second unit, and is also without their TPMLE investment signed to provide shot-creation when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are off the court.

The Cs could well decide to let their training camp battles play out and hand a guaranteed deal to Noah Vonleh, Justin Jackson, and/or Bruno Caboclo, who was recently signed with the team’s Exhibit 10 camp contract.

FanNation’s Bobby Krivitsky made the case for Montrezl Harrell, the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year on the Los Angeles Clippers who last played for the Charlotte Hornets following a trade deadline deal with the Washington Wizards this past February:

"“Boston will also short shift Jayson Tatum to keep at least one of he and Jaylen Brown on the court. But another way to pace those two through the coming campaign is to slide Grant Williams down a spot defensively. Going that route could lead to the signing of Montrezl Harrell. The undersized (six-foot-seven) but energetic center is a career 12.9 points per game scorer who does his damage around the rim. Harrell doesn’t provide much defensively, but Boston didn’t sign Gallinari to make an impact on that end, either.”"

The Boston Celtics would be better off with Montrezl Harrell than Carmelo Anthony

The buzz about the Boston Celtics potentially acquiring Carmelo Anthony mostly has to do with the similar role he’d play to Danilo Gallinari, who obviously won’t get the chance to even fill that role because of an ACL tear to the same leg he suffered one on nine years ago when he wasn’t in his mid-30s.

That role doesn’t necessarily have to be filled in free agency, though, since the team didn’t have that last season and still came within two wins of an NBA Championship. Besides, new addition Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White could do their best to fill it by committee.

Instead, the Cs could opt to add an enforcer with some dog in him that’d be unafraid to go at it with the Draymond Green’s of the league and give the team a proven emotional leader in the second unit.

If you ask Hardwood Houdini, that wouldn’t be a bad route to take. Harrell is more than deserving of a roster spot somewhere.