The Toronto Raptors have made a free-agent signing as the team has inked veteran forward Kyle Anderson to a one-year contract.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news on Thursday that the Raptors have given Anderson a one-year, $3.9 million deal to come north of the border and play for Toronto next season.
“Free agent forward Kyle Anderson has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Anderson enters his 13th NBA season providing depth to the Raptors roster, and reunites with former San Antonio teammate Kawhi Leonard,” Charania wrote on X.
Kyle Anderson Improves Raptors’ Depth
Anderson is a 32-year-old veteran forward who has been in the league for 12 years since being drafted with the 30th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
As Charania noted, Anderson played with Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard at the beginning of his career, so the two will be reunited when they play again in Toronto next season.
Aside from San Antonio, Anderson has also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, and the Utah Jazz during his NBA career.
Overall, he has played in 757 NBA regular-season games with 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game during his NBA career. As well, Anderson is known as a strong defender and as someone who is highly respected both on and off the court.
Raptors Looking to Contend Next Year
By trading for Leonard and bringing in Anderson as a free agent, Raptors GM Bobby Webster has indicated that the team is ready to contend and play for an NBA Championship for the first time since 2019, the last time Leonard was part of the team.
Both Leonard and Anderson have a ton of playoff experience, so adding them to the team’s lineup helps the rest of the club’s young players as the team looks to take the next step with the current iteration of the team, which had a strong showing in this year’s postseason when they went seven games with the veteran-laded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, going seven games.
We’ll see if Webster has any more moves up his sleeve, but right now, the Raptors look like a very solid ball club from top to bottom, and one that should firmly be among the upper echelon of teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference next season.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Raptors Sign Veteran Forward Kyle Anderson appeared first on HEAVY.