By admin 
Although undersized, Montrezl Harrell made his mark in the NBA as an efficient scorer and a relentless rebounder. Despite coming off the bench for most of his eight-year NBA career, he did massive damage to defenses and even won the Sixth Man of the Year during the 2019-20 season, averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.
With an impressive performance like that, the 6’7″ power forward believed he had found a home with the Clippers, especially with the bond he had forged with fellow unheralded players like Lou Williams and Pat Beverley. However, that proved to be Harrell’s final season with the team, as he believes his beef with teammate Paul George led to him not getting re-signed.
A beef that’s still stewing
The years that have passed have done little to quell Harrell’s bitterness towards George. While PG went on to become an All-Star a few more times and earn big bucks, Montrezl played for four NBA teams before playing overseas in professional leagues in Australia, China, and Puerto Rico. Now 32, the big man remains committed to returning to the NBA, working out with the Rio Grande Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate.
Harrell recently spoke to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson about his successful Clippers stint when the topic of George was broached. He immediately shut down the subject with the authority of one of his slam dunks, claiming that man played a role in his departure from the Clippers.
“I don’t make comments about that boy. Me and that boy don’t see eye-to-eye, and we ain’t on no terms, so I don’t make comments about him,” Trez said.
“Quite frankly, I don’t care. I stated that in the tribute interview I did as well, regarding how me and him got into it in that bubble situation. I feel like that had a strong trajectory on why the Clippers didn’t sign me back the following year, so I don’t make comments on him,” he asserted.
Harrell and George got into it in Game 7 of the Clippers’ second-round clash against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, which was held inside the “Orlando Bubble.” With a ticket to the Western Conference Finals on the line, PG played poorly, shooting 4-for-16 for only 10 points and committing a ghastly five turnovers.
According to veteran reporter Chris Haynes, Paul also failed to hold himself accountable, blaming Trez for not catching one of his passes.
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“Harrell responded with something along the lines of, ‘You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,’ and expletives were uttered from both players,” Haynes reported.
The following offseason, Harrell spurned the Clippers to sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The bubble was a difficult time for everyone
While critics blasted that Clippers team for failing to live up to their potential, Harrell pushed back, arguing that the bubble was a difficult time for everyone, himself included. While critics piled on Trez for averaging just 11.7 points against the Nuggets, far below his regular-season average, they didn’t consider the tremendous personal loss he was dealing with – the passing of his grandmother.
“A lot of stuff transpired in that bubble. People ended up losing loved ones. I lost my grandmother. Little do people know, those warm-up games that guys played before the playoffs started, I missed all five or seven of those games. I came right back for the playoff games against Dallas and Denver. I had zero rhythm,” he shared. “Mentally, I wasn’t there. I lost my grandmother, and basketball wasn’t the first thing on my mind.”
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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 1:16 AM.