The Boston Celtics signed Blake Griffin at the tail end of the offseason in order to add frontcourt depth to a roster that badly needed it in the wake of Robert Williams’ knee surgery, but President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens had his eyes set higher.
Specifically, on the 2019-20 NBA season’s Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, who won the award while playing on a Kawhi Leonard/Paul George-led Los Angeles Clippers team during a season that started with full arenas and ended in front of a virtual crowd in Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex.
Harrell ultimately signed with the C’s conquered opening night opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, on September 13. He admitted, though, on October 19 to MassLive’s Brian Robb, that the two sides discussed a deal but ultimately couldn’t agree on his perspective role.
According to Harrell, the Boston Celtics weren’t going to give him a role that he would’ve been satisfied with, and thus took his talents to the City of Brotherly Love instead of joining the defending Eastern Conference champions:
"“It wasn’t really going to help me. I mean, I’m definitely for the team and organization, but at the same time, if you are telling the player before the season even started they aren’t going to be playing games, that’s tough to say. That’s not going to work. I can’t do nothing with that. That’s how it went.”"
Montrezl Harrell likely would have had role with Boston Celtics had he waited 10 days to sign a deal
The Boston Celtics could use someone with Montrezl Harrell’s exact skillset at the moment, but he’ll be busy playing for a likely No. 4 – No. 6 Eastern Conference postseason seed unlikely to escape the second round instead.
Had he waited just 10 days until it was announced by ESPN that Robert Williams III would need arthroscopic knee surgery to “remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee,” Harrell would have potentially had a more meaningful role in Boston than he will in Philly — at least until ‘The Timelord’ returned later this season. The 2015 NBA Draft’s No. 32nd pick played 11 minutes during the Sixers’ 126-117 opening night loss on October 18.