76ers’ Harrell has torn ACL, meniscus in knee

The Philadelphia 76ers announced veteran center Montrezl Harrell had undergone an MRI that revealed both a torn ACL and a torn medial meniscus in his right knee after swelling following recent workouts.

Harrell, 29, averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds across 57 games for the 76ers last season, as he posted his lowest numbers across the board since his rookie season in the league, and was gradually surpassed by Paul Reed as the preferred backup center behind the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Joel Embiid.

The 76ers re-signed Harrell to a one-year deal last month, and he’d been expected to provide insurance behind Embiid, Reed and Mo Bamba, who also signed a one-year deal with the team last month.

Outside of the standoff between James Harden and the organization, after the star guard requested to be traded elsewhere after opting into his contract for next season, Philadelphia has had a relatively quiet offseason, signing Bamba and Patrick Beverley to one-year deals to preserve cap space for next summer in addition to hiring Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers as the team’s head coach.