Getty Big man Anthony Tolliver smiles prior to a 2019 game against the Denver Nuggets.
After a relatively quiet week, the Philadelphia 76ers made another roster move, freeing up another roster spot in the process.
Per an announcement from the team on Friday, veteran forward Anthony Tolliver has been placed on waivers. The move was made just hours before the 36-year-old’s contract for the 2021-22 campaign was set to become guaranteed. However, Tolliver’s release had been expected.
There was a thought that the second year of Tolliver’s deal could come into play if Sixer president Daryl Morey needed to include it as part of a trade. In the end, though, nothing materialized on that front.
Following Tolliver’s release, the Sixers are left with 14 guaranteed contracts for next season.
Tolliver’s Short-Lived Sixers Stint
Tolliver first came to Philly late last season by way of a 10-day contract. And while he played sparingly during that period, the Sixers thought enough of the floor-spacing forward to retain him for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign. However, he didn’t play his best basketball in the limited minutes that he received.
In total, Tolliver appeared in just 11 games for the Sixers, averaging nine minutes per outing. Along the way, he connected on only 23.5% of his shot attempts overall and 28.6% from three-point range. Consequently, he scored just 17 total points over that span.
He went on to appear in just one of the Sixers’ postseason contest.
Although Tolliver was never going to play a lot for the Sixers, nothing he did on the court when he did play really warranted another go-round with the club. However, he definitely had something to offer as a veteran presence and a voice in the locker room, something he alluded to when he first joined the club.
“Coming from somebody that’s been through that pretty much every year in my career where I’ve had certain periods in every single season I’ve been an NBA where I wasn’t sure if I was gonna play and if I did, I didn’t know how much,” Tolliver said.
“Just helping these young guys, navigate through all that has been something I’ve taken pride in these last two or three years.”
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What’s Next for the Sharpshooter
Clearly, Tolliver is nearing the end of his playing career. That said, he had low-key been one of the better floor-stretching bigs in the Association for several years before last season.
For his career, he’s a 37.3% shooter from behind the arc. Meanwhile, his 865 career triples are a top-60 mark among active players. Just a few, short years ago, he was a rotation regular for the Detroit Pistons and a 44% shooter from three-point range.
Although he failed to make an impact with the Sixers, Tolliver could still get another shot to help a contending club next season on reputation alone. It would be surprising to see him sign with an NBA club in team for opening night but he could find a spot somewhere for the stretch run.
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