2017 NBA free agency grades: Portland Trail Blazers Add Anthony Morrow, Isaiah Briscoe
The Portland Trail Blazers added free agent Anthony Morrow and rookie Isaiah Briscoe to their training camp roster.
The Portland Trail Blazers have continued to fill out their training camp roster, signing Anthony Morrow and Isaiah Briscoe to one-year, non-guaranteed contracts.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported the Briscoe agreement via Twitter on Wednesday. Shams Charania of The Vertical first reported the Morrow agreement via Twitter on Friday.
Briscoe, 21, is an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky. He played two seasons with the Wildcats, averaging 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the course of 70 games. In his last season with Kentucky, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 30 minutes per game.
He last played with the Philadelphia 76ers in both the Las Vegas Summer League and the Salt Lake City Summer League. Playing a total of six games over the summer, Briscoe averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 12 minutes per game.
Ex-Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe has agreed to a training camp deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 13, 2017
The Blazers are a bit short on depth in the backcourt with Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton listed as backups to Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, respectively. Their roster is at 14 at the moment (training camp roster is at 18 now), so signing a guard like Briscoe to a training camp deal makes sense.
However, Briscoe — who has had his problems offensively — will be competing with Archie Goodwin — who was signed last week — as well as veteran free agent, Anthony Morrow.
Morrow, 31, split time between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls last season. His most recent stint was with the Bulls, with whom he averaged 4.5 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point territory.
Free agent guard Anthony Morrow has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with Portland, agent Wallace Prather tells The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2017
A noted 3-point specialist, Morrow joins the Blazers after the departure of Allen Crabbe, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets earlier this summer. Crabbe was the second-most efficient 3-point shooter last season, so signing a floor-spacer like Morrow to replace him is a sensible move for Rip City.
Also of note is the fact that Morrow, who has seen time with seven different teams prior to joining the Blazers, surprisingly signed a non-guaranteed deal. While he’s likely the favorite to fill Portland’s last remaining roster spot, it’s clear that Morrow’s defensive deficiencies are to blame for his jumping around the league.
For a team in desperate need of more defensive-minded players, Morrow is unlikely to receive heavy minutes should he continue on with Portland after the preseason. He is, as mentioned prior, simply trying out as Crabbe’s replacement.
Portland Trail Blazers add short-term backcourt depth to their training camp roster by signing Isaiah Briscoe and Anthony Morrow.. G. Portland Trail Blazers. MORROW/BRISCOE SIGNINGS . C
In addition, it’s unclear if any of the aforementioned players are given the opportunity to remain with the team past the preseason.
Considering the number of moves they made over the summer to help shed salary and alleviate their luxury tax hit, the Blazers are clearly in a bit of a bind financially, and it’s questionable as to whether they would be open to adding salary after trying so hard to get rid of salary.
Next: Complete 2017 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams
Overall, however, adding Briscoe and Morrow were the right moves to make. Morrow certainly meets a short-term need, and both players definitely help bolster Portland’s depth in the backcourt.