Free agent forward Al-Farouq Aminu reached agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers during the opening hour of free agency Tuesday night, he confirmed on Twitter.
Headed to Portland with my guy Neil Olshey, who believed in me since day one. Much love
Rip city here I come
— Al-Farouq Aminu (@farouq1) July 1, 2015The deal is for four years and $30 million, a source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. It reunites Aminu and Blazers general manager Neil Olshey, who drafted him with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011.
Aminu, who made the veteran's minimum while playing for the Dallas Mavericks last season, could be a candidate to start at either forward position in Portland. The Blazers traded small forward Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets last week and are likely to lose perennial All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency.
Aminu, the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft, opted out of the second season of the minimum-salary deal he signed with the Mavericks last summer. After spending the first two months of the season on the fringe of the rotation, he established himself as a key contributor at both forward positions for the Mavs.
Aminu, 24, remains raw offensively, matching his career low last season with 5.6 points per game and shooting 41.2 percent from the floor in 2014-15. However, he's a strong rebounder (8.6 per 36 minutes in his career) and a valuable, versatile defender who guarded everything from point guard to power forwards for the Mavs.
Aminu was drafted by the Clippers and sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Chris Paul trade after his rookie season. He was primarily a starter during his three-season stint in New Orleans but didn't find much of a market for his services last summer. He boosted his value in Dallas, particularly in the playoffs, averaging 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in an increased role due to a knee injury to Dallas starting small forward Chandler Parsons.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
