In a surprise to nobody, a team run by Tom Thibodeau could use better cohesion and 3-point shooting.
Anthony Tolliver will help with both – though at the cost of Nemanja Bjelica.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Minnesota withdrew qualifying offer on Nemanja Bjelica, who will become an unrestricted free agent, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Sources: Tolliver's one-year deal will be in $5-to-$6M range to sign with Minnesota. https://t.co/LvKMOobo8F
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2018
Depending on the exact terms of Tolliver’s contract, the Timberwolves might now be in line to pay the luxury tax. However, they have until the final day of the regular season to trim salary. Whatever their willingness to spend, they clearly didn’t want Bjelica accepting his $4,937,499 qualifying offer and adding to their payroll.
The 33-year-old Tolliver is better than Bjelica, and that’s what drove this. Tolliver is a good 3-point shooter with an improved ability to attack closeouts. He defends hard, though his mediocre athleticism limits him on that. He’ll take Bjelica’s place as Minnesota’s stretch four behind Taj Gibson.
Tolliver will also provide a unifying voice in what can be a tense locker room that just lost Jamal Crawford and Cole Aldrich. Tolliver is well-respected by his peers, and that’s part of his value.
Bjelica should find suitors on the open market. He’s a capable stretch four with a decent all-around game. After just three seasons in the NBA, he’s already 30, though.
The best part of this sequence: A chance to post this video of Michael Beasley rubbing the wrong knee – Tolliver’s – during Tolliver’s first stint with the Timberwolves:
