Instant Grade: Blazers Claim Micah Potter Off Waivers From Pacers

The Portland Trail Blazers are filling the back part of their roster by claiming Micah Potter off waivers from the Indiana Pacers.

The move gives the Blazers 14 players on their active roster.

Who is Micah Potter?

Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter shoots the ball in the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Potter, 28, played 47 games with the Pacers this past season, averaging a career-high 9.7 points and 5 rebounds per game. He took advantage of the opportunity in front of him with the Pacers rebuilding as a squad. That gave him a chance to play when he otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Now, he joins the Blazers, where his situation is slightly different.

The five-year veteran out of Wisconsin is someone who can fill in as a power forward in the second unit, which the Blazers sorely needed after trading Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Pacers opted to move on from Potter to make room for former Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr., but the team found ways to allow him to have an impact.

"Solid is the word," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said in March via Indiana Pacers On SI contributor Tyler Smith. "Micah, that's what he is. He's solid. He's a no-frills player. He doesn't try to be fancy out there. He plays the game, he works to play to his strengths. I like that he's a stretch big that can legitimately play some four. That's a very good thing."

The Blazers likely won't need him to play in the center position because they already have Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III in that role, but Portland could definitely utilize him as a power forward.

Potter comes to the Blazers with one year left on his contract, so what makes this a positive move for Portland is that there is essentially very little risk attached to this deal. The Blazers aren't breaking the bank, but they are adding a player who could be in the rotation next season.

The deal is also non-guaranteed, so if the Blazers find something better or choose to move on, they won't be on the hook for much, if anything at all.

If Potter can continue to develop and make a name for himself with the Blazers, he could rattle off a few more years to his career, and Portland can get some size in the frontcourt. It's a win-win move for both sides as they look to move forward.

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