A week after having been shipped out of New Orleans, veteran wing Tony Allen has been waived by the Bulls. If the 36-year-old shooting guard clears waivers on Sunday, TNT’s David Aldridge says the Thunder and Rockets will be among the teams bidding for his services.
While Allen had been used marginally for the Pelicans through the first half of the season, he’s a famously effective perimeter defender, perfect for a Houston team in need of defensive depth on their second unit or a Thunder squad desperate to fill the vacancy left by Andre Roberson.
In 12.4 minutes of action for the Pelicans this season, Allen averaged 4.7 points per game. In 27.0 minutes per game during the 2016/17 campaign with the Grizzlies, however, The Grindfather put forth a respectable 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per.
Allen figures to be one of several big name players on the buyout market this season, so committing a roster spot now isn’t without its drawbacks, but Allen’s skill set will be an indisputably enticing one for team’s looking for depth on their bench.
Rockets just so Thunder fans get salty.
He would fill the Roberson void perfectly. Strong defender and not so great offensively.
Tony Allen is a “big name player?” He has always been a decent player, but far from a big name. I guess he might be the biggest name on the buyout market, but even that is kind of like how Robert Horry is a 7 time NBA champion. He didn’t really had a lot to do with it, it was more a product of his surrounding talent.
Didn’t do a lot, just hit a litany of clutch shots time after time.
Your talking to someone who looks at a stat page and thinks it tells the whole story. Life is not a spreadsheet.