Sixers waive injured center Montrezl Harrell; opening-day roster set

Nick Nurse said the 76ers had a tough decision to make.

The coach had a lot of wings and young guys he did not want to give up on. He also had an injured center in Montrezl Harrell, whose salary the Sixers wanted to keep as a trade asset.

But the Sixers decided they needed 15 healthy bodies and were forced to waive Harrell before Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline to trim rosters to 15 standard contracts.

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The Sixers will also carry Javonte Smart, Trequavion Smith, and Azuolas Tubelis as two-way players.

“I think I have to take what’s been given, the body of work that you’ve seen from everybody,” Nurse said before making the roster cut. “And now, you have to make a decision on what’s going on. But I do say that it’s so early. I think it’s evolving.

“I think we can go to 13 guys and make a case for them, right? But we know we can’t play 13. But I think we go out there with what we have seen so far and knowing that there’s some other abilities of some guys that might not get a chance, but I believe those changes will come around. They always do. So we just play it as it goes.”

Harrell has been away from the Sixers while rehabilitating in Los Angeles from a torn right knee ligament. The team will continue to support him in his rehab plan.

The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $2.9 million contract to rejoin the Sixers on July 18. An MRI exam on Aug. 2 revealed his injury.

The recovery time for an ACL tear is normally eight to nine months, while some players return in six months. Harrell is currently ahead of schedule, and there’s a chance that he’ll be able to play by the All-Star break.

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Before his injury, Harrell was not expected to see much action because of a crowded center position. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid will play the bulk of the minutes. Paul Reed is the backup, while Mo Bamba and Filip Petrušev are the other centers.

Harrell averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds last season. They were his lowest averages since he produced 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds as a rookie with the Houston Rockets in 2015-16.

He was third on the depth chart behind Embiid and Reed during last season’s training camp. Harrell and Reed split time as Embiid’s backup at the start of the season, until Harrell struggled on defense and was eventually removed from the rotation.