Simon Briffa
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Publish Date: 07/01/2022
Fact checked by: Mike Goodpaster
Juan Toscano-Anderson to join the Lakers
Juan Toscano-Anderson has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers following his end of tenure with the Golden State Warriors. It was announced not long after the free agency negotiation was opened on Thursday afternoon. Check out the best new bookmakers for betting on the NBA.
The announcement came in after the Warriors decided not to extend an offer to Toscano-Anderson before its deadline, allowing the forward to be a free agent. He has spent the last three seasons with the Warriors, where he joined the NBA championship along with the squad earlier this month.
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Toscano-Anderson threw a Warriors’ championship parade down Market Street in San Francisco, greeting and celebrating with the hometown crowd. This served as a send-off for the Oakland native with the state as well as the team. Marcus Thompson II, the columnist for the Mercury News and the East Bay Times also chimed in to bid Toscano-Anderson farewell.
“Juan Toscano-Anderson is at peace with leaving the Warriors. It’s time for the next chapter of his storybook journey,” he said.
He also quoted Toscano-Anderson regarding his departure from the team in his tweet, in which Toscano-Anderson said, “I’m stamped in the Town. I’m stamped in my country. That s—t can’t nobody take from me.”
Toscano-Anderson’s journey
Tweet
Toscano-Anderson has played 139 games. He has an average of 4.8 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 52.3 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from the 3-point range.
Before finding joining the Warriors, he went undrafted in 2015 and spent some time playing internationally and in the G League. He had a sizeable role in the 2020-21 season, starting 16 of his 53 games. Unfortunately, they missed the playoffs after falling to the Lakers and then to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference play-in tournament, marking the season unsuccessful.
In 2021-22, due to the appearance of Jordan Poole and Otto Porter joining the Warriors, his role was cut quite significantly. He went from being an active member of the rotation early to only playing in end-of-quarter defensive possessions by the playoffs.
Toscano-Anderson rebounded and quickly became a fan favorite as an energetic two-way player off the bench for Golden State last season, which earned him a spot in the 2022 dunk contest.
Toscano-Anderson’s departure has drawn the attention of the 2022 NBA Finals MVP, Steph Curry. “Always a champ and always doing it for Oakland… good luck my guy T”, he said on Twitter, showing his respect to his former fellow Warriors.
Upgrading the spot
The Lakers have made it their objective to upgrade their depth and talent at the wing spot, who Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony filled in last summer. However, they have been reported to have failed at doing so. According to the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka, their other goal was to get younger.
This motivated the Lakers to get forward with Toscano-Anderson and have him agree to a contract. Weighing around 209 pounds, he is known as a good defender who is also able to knock down outside shots, although his accuracy in shooting 3-point has fluctuated over time.
Standing at 6’6’’, Toscano-Anderson is capable to provide the Lakers with some much-needed depth at the wing. However, for now, his exact role in the team is unclear, considering there are many new players at his station who are set to join the Lakers this season.
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