With the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs, all eyes will be on their upcoming offseason plans as they will have several tough roster choices to make in order to get back to contending for another title.
The roster will of course revolve around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but finding the right pieces to surround them with will be a tall task given their cap situation. Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has already come out and said that shooting will be a priority for them to address, but there are also question marks about the big man situation.
Montrezl Harrell was a constant in head coach Frank Vogel’s rotation during the 2020-21 season, but saw his role decrease dramatically in the first round against the Phoenix Suns. Despite what was a disappointing end to his first year in Los Angeles, Harrell posted on his Instagram a thank you to the team and the fans:
With Harrell holding a player option for next season, it would not be surprising to see him opt out and try to find a lucrative deal elsewhere. He admitted he was unsure of how things will play out when free agency begins. “You know, I came in every day and did my job, I did what they asked me to do, and I played my role, simple as that. As far as my future, I don’t know what that holds right now, we just finished playing last night. So, I can’t give you that answer right now.
“But I came in and did my job, and whenever my number was called I went out there and played to the best of my abilities and left it all on the floor. As far as what my future holds with the organization and things like that, like I said, the game just ended last night, so my next focus is going home and being a dad to the kids.”
Not likely Montrezl Harrell picks up player option in free agency
Harrell was a largely productive player during the regular season as he averaged 13.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. Although he was a liability on defense at times, the big man could score and spark the Lakers with his energy when called upon and that will earn a decent contract in the offseason.
Even though bigs can typically be had for cheaper, Harrell is still worth throwing money at if he is put in the right role and he could very well accept more guaranteed money from another team if he chooses to opt out this summer.
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