The Golden State Warriors have reached a deal with another free agent, signing veteran forward Kyle Anderson to a three-year, $27 million deal. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news of the signing.
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The deal is a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors will be sending a future second-round pick swap and cash to the Wolves for Anderson.
Anderson, 30, has spent 10 years in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, and most recently, the Timberwolves.
The former first-round pick has always been a solid role player, but had his best season in 2020-21, when he averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. In his career, Anderson has averaged 6.9 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from deep. He's earned the nickname "Slo Mo" due to the slow, in-control nature in which he always plays.
Anderson is the second free agent signing for the Warriors since they lost five-time All-Star Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors also agreed to a contract with veteran guard De'Anthony Melton on a one-year deal.
Read more: Warriors Add Veteran Guard Following Klay Thompson Departure
While Melton and Anderson will provide much-needed depth for the Warriors, they appear to still have their eyes set on a big splash this offseason.
Per multiple reports, the Warriors are one of the many teams interested in All-Star big man Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz.
Read more: Warriors Reportedly Looking to Add Lauri Markkanen Via Blockbuster Trade
Markkanen, 27, is coming off the best two years of his career. In 2022-23, he made his first All-Star team and finished the season averaging 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game en route to winning the Most Improved Player award. In 2023-24, he averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from deep.
Markkanen is one of the biggest names who could be dealt this offseason due to his emergence on a Jazz team that isn't ready to contend — and the Warriors appear to be at the forefront of teams showing interest.
According to Warriors insider Monte Poole on 95.7 The Game, Markkanen is "the Warriors' No. 1 target." According to Chris Haynes on a Bleacher Report livestream, the Warriors are the "aggressors" in the Markkanen sweepstakes.
However, Haynes made it clear it wouldn't be easy for the Warriors to acquire Markkanen.
"It would really put a dent in the Warriors' roster to try to make that deal happen," Haynes said, "to try to get the Utah Jazz to bite."
While the Warriors attempt to put together a package to convince Utah to trade Markkanen, they're also making sure to add depth to a roster that missed the playoffs this past season. Stephen Curry isn't getting any younger, so the time is now for Golden State to build one last championship-caliber roster.
About the writer
Noah Camras graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. He's worked ... Read more
