The Los Angeles Lakers made a habit of signing former Golden State Warriors in free agency over the last few years, most recently bringing in Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Toscano-Anderson joins JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, Avery Bradley and Kent Bazemore among players who have swapped the Bay Area for L.A. The 29-year-old wing leaves the Warriors having just won the NBA title with Golden State in his first-ever playoff appearance.
Warriors star Stephen Curry bid farewell to Toscano-Anderson on Twitter, sharing a video of them celebrating the championship with champagne bottles popping around:
Always a champ and always doing it for Oakland…good luck my guy Juan T pic.twitter.com/thUW4OGyDi
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 1, 2022
The above-mentioned former Warriors players who claimed the title in Golden State before moving to L.A. would then celebrate winning the championship with the Lakers in 2019-20.
Toscano-Anderson will want to continue the tradition, bringing in the athleticism and defensive versatility the Lakers lacked last season. The forward averaged 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, shooting 52.3% from the field and 36.1% from downtown in three years with the Warriors.
’Zero’ chance Lakers pursue Kevin Durant by offering Anthony Davis in trade
Even before the free agency hoopla started on Thursday, Kevin Durant sent shockwaves around the NBA with reports he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. That is believed to have reignited the Lakers’ pursuit of Kyrie Irving.
Some reports claimed the Lakers might engage the Nets in talks over a blockbuster trade that would send both Irving and Durant to L.A. However, it’s now believed there’s ‘zero’ chance the Purple and Gold will try to pull off the historic exchange, as they don’t want to part ways with Anthony Davis — who would almost certainly have to be involved in the transaction.
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