With the Miami Heat on the finishing end of their summer circuit of play, things can get back, strictly, to the business of looking to acquire new talent. While the big fish or whales, according to the Pat Riley lexicon, are certainly among the likes of Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, and though to a lesser tier, Collin Sexton, there are other names still out there.
The name in question today though would be that of Montrezl Harrell’s and this part must be stated first. Harrell’s immediate NBA future might be a bit dicey right now, facing, potential, felony marijuana charges in Kentucky.
However, if things there can get sorted out, it looks like the Miami Heat may have an interest. Well, that’s the rumor and reporting being done over at Heavy.com.
Here’s the important bit, according to Heavy’s Sean Deveney.
"“Miami would be one team to look out for. Especially if they make a big move and they have a lot of roster holes that need to be filled on the cheap late in the summer,” the exec said. “They need another big guy either way. He could be sitting there. It depends on if the case goes away or what.”"
The Miami Heat aren’t done with the offseason improvements, one would think. With that, does Montrezl Harrell fit into what they are trying to accomplish?
Speaking towards the notion of Harrells pending legal matter at the end of the above quote, one would assume, that should play a big part in whatever Harrell’s immediate NBA future looks like. However, if the Miami Heat are to be a part of that, what do you make of it?
It’s really simple, actually. Harrell is a culture fit.
He is a big guy that works hard, fights, is physical, and plays with a high motor. He can defend several positions and is a decent career rebounder.
Here’s where things get sticky. At just 6’7″, Harrell is undersized—but doesn’t show the perimeter prowess that you would like to see for a guy of his size and how you would had to deploy him as a member of the Miami Heat.
Harrell is a career 11.7 percent range shooter and on just .2 attempts per game across his seven year career.
With guys like Nikola Jovic, Omer Yurtseven, Dewayne Dedmon, Haywood Highsmith, Darius Days, and Bam Adebayo already in tow, guys that are either bigger, more multiple offensively, or both, it might be hard to justify bringing him in because it’s pretty hard to see where and how he fits.
Yes, he does the things well you expect from a big, but with another undersized guy, Adebayo, as your core center, you really wouldn’t get the best out of a lineup that featured Bam and Harrell as the two bigs. Harrell doesn’t shoot it well enough to warrant that.
So, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to bring him in, based on the aforementioned positive aspects. However, the facts that it would be hard to play him beside your starting big because of his lack of outside offensive prowess and considering the other guys you already have as bigs— it might not make it the most ideal fit for either side right now.