Former Piston Anthony Tolliver Signs With Kings
JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer
The Sacramento Kings have added two dependable veterans to the roster as they try to stabilize what has been a chaotic situation on the court and in the front office.
The Kings agreed to terms on a two-year, $25 million deal with guard Arron Afflalo and a two-year, $16 million deal for Anthony Tolliver, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals cannot be signed until July 7.
Afflalo averaged 12.8 points and shot 38 percent on 3-pointers for the New York Knicks last season, his ninth in the NBA.
He brings strong leadership and a focus on defense to a team that has lacked both in recent seasons. Afflalo isn't quite the elite defender he was earlier in his career, but he brings that mindset to a team that gave up points by the bucket load last season under George Karl.
After years of front office and coaching turnover under owner Vivek Ranadive, the Kings hope they have found a leadership team that will stay in place for the long haul. Vlade Divac is running the front office and Dave Joerger left Memphis to take over the coaching duties.
Their priority has been to inject some professionalism into the roster, and surround star center DeMarcus Cousins with perimeter shooters to open things up for him near the rim.
Afflalo and Tolliver both fit that mold.
Tolliver has spent the past two seasons in Detroit, playing about 20 minutes a night as a reserve. He can guard multiple positions, play small forward or power forward on offense and is a career 36 percent 3-point shooter.
Tolliver had extensive discussions with Washington, Toronto and Minnesota before ultimately coming to an agreement with Sacramento.
Tolliver played for the Timberwolves in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and was intrigued by the possibility of returning, but chose the Kings instead.
Both deals have only partial guarantees in the second seasons, offering the Kings some important flexibility going into next summer when an even better crop of free agents is expected to hit the market.
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