Warriors Signing Kyle Anderson To Three-Year Contract

The Golden State Warriors intend to sign free agent forward Kyle Anderson to a three-year, $27 million deal, via a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Anderson was an underrated and key player for a Wolves team that reached the Western Conference Finals. But they “couldn’t go that high for him given the rest of their payroll,” wrote Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The Warriors parted ways with longtime shooting guard Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade arrangement with the Dallas Mavericks and are looking for players to plug in to his old role. Anderson isn’t a great shooter but is a string facilitator from the small forward spot and should fit well within coach Steve Kerr‘s scheme.

Minnesota is receiving a second-round pick swap and cash in the trade with Golden State, per Wojnarowski.

“The Timberwolves are a second-apron team, severely limiting their flexibility,” wrote Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors. “And the Timberwolves won’t be able to use the TPE generated by the Anderson sign-and-trade because of the restrictions for second-apron teams under the current CBA.”

Anderson, 30, averaged 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 79 games, shooting 46% from the field overall but just 22.1% on 3-pointers. He has also spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs since entering the NBA in 2014 and carries career averages of 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals.

Golden State was eliminated in the play-in tournament this past season.