2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Anthony Tolliver: 1 year, $2.6 million (Portland Trail Blazers)
Free agent forward Anthony Tolliver has agreed to a one-year, $2.6M deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Tolliver will provide a high-level shooting rotation big.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2019
The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t really have a contingency plan at the power forward spot when Al-Farouq Aminu signed with the Orlando Magic on a perfectly manageable deal. Retaining Rodney Hood on a team-friendly salary was great, but with Aminu gone and both Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard being shipped off in the Hassan Whiteside trade, Rip City was hurting at the 4.
Consider Anthony Tolliver an unexpected but welcome bounce-back move from a potentially worrisome situation. The 34-year-old vet is not on par with Aminu’s abilities as a defender and small-ball 4, but he’s a much more reliable 3-point threat, hitting 37.6 percent of his long range attempts over his 11 NBA seasons.
However, asking him to go from 16.6 minutes a night with the Minnesota Timberwolves last year to a starter for a Western Conference playoff team looking to make some noise would be a drastic jump, especially at Tolliver’s age. Getting him at the veteran minimum helps address a position of need effectively, but this still isn’t the bona fide Aminu replacement Portland needs. Here’s hoping Zach Collins is ready to fill that role.
Grade: B-