Celtics Legend Wants Boston To Pursue This NBA Free Agent

By trading away Marcus Smart, the Celtics shed levels of toughness and grit that helped Boston be one of the NBA’s best teams the last few seasons.

However, a franchise great believes the C’s could fill those voids through free agency this summer.

During a recent appearance on “Arbella Early Edition,” Cedric Maxwell was asked to identify players who Boston should pursue on the open market. The 1981 NBA Finals MVP highlighted a veteran bruiser whose playing style surely would be admired on Causeway Street.

“The person that I think about is Montrezl Harrell,” Maxwell said, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “You’ve got the nicest bench in the world. What you have is Mr. Clean over there with the Celtics’ bench. I want somebody over there who is a little nasty, a little dirty, a little gritty. He’s one of those few guys I’ve seen that can come in, won’t need the minutes, but really I think will be a high value for this team.

“(Harrell) is always around the rim, always in somebody’s face. That nastiness that you don’t have, that comes along with that frown and that scowl you see on this kid’s face and I love it.”

The Celtics might have to go Harrell with their hat in their hand if they want to sign the 29-year-old this summer. The sides talked shop before the start of last season, but Boston apparently turned Harrell off by bluntly telling him his playing time would be very limited.

That said, Harrell only averaged 11.9 minutes per game for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, so maybe he’ll be open to a reduced role for a team with championship aspirations.