Getty Juan Toscano-Anderson #95 of the Golden State Warriors reacts
Juan Toscano-Anderson had a pretty heated response to the Golden State Warriors when they parted ways with him for the first time.
The scrappy big man, who played a role as a reserve on last year’s title team before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, was initially cut when he first tried to make the roster prior to the 2020-21 season. Speaking to Warriors star Draymond Green this week, Toscano-Anderson shared his salty reaction to the initial news.
Toscano-Anderson Sounds Off
Speaking to his former teammate on the latest episode of “Throwing Bones,” Green recalled how Toscano-Anderson shared his frustrations after being waived by the Warriors prior to the 2020-21 season.
“We went through camp, you got cut,” Green told Toscano-Anderson. “Last cut, by the way. And I remember seeing you that night, we were in the club in San Francisco. If I’m not mistaken we were in Love and Propaganda … He came to me and said, ‘Y’all f***ed up!’ I’m like, ‘What?’ First off, I’m not a general manager.”
Green added that Toscano-Anderson was frustrated with the decision because he believed he was ready to be a real contributor for Golden State.
“He’s like, ‘Y’all f***ed up, I could really f***ing help you and help this team win.’ And I’m like, ‘Bro, I believe that, I believe you.’ He’s like ‘Nah, y’all made a f***ing mistake, cause I could really help this team.’ And I’m like, ‘Alright bro, I respect it, keep on your grind bro, like keep chasing it, it’ll happen for you.’ And we had that moment. Then fast forward later that year, you got your opportunity.”
As NBC Sports Bay Area noted, Toscano-Anderson was a hometown product, growing up on 95th Street in Oakland and taking part in the organization’s youth program starting in the third grade.
Toscano-Anderson signed a two-way contract with the Warriors later that year and went on to play 53 games for Golden State, averaging 5.7 points in 20.9 minutes per game. Though the season would fall short of the playoffs as the Warriors dropped both games in the newly established play-in tournament, Toscano-Anderson became a fan favorite for his gritty play style and earned a standard contract after the season ended.
New Role With Warriors’ Rival
Toscano-Anderson had a second departure from the Warriors, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers last offseason after the Warriors opted not to extend a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent.
After the signing, Toscano-Anderson took to Twitter to share a goodbye message to Warriors fans.
“But with all that said, I’€™m extremely excited to be a Laker. New opportunities, new chapter of my life. The story is still being written!”
Juan Toscano-Anderson will be re-evaluated in two weeks after spraining his ankle.
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Toscano-Anderson has carved out a role as a reserve for the Lakers, appearing in 14 games and averaging 2.2 points per game. He will be missing some time, however, suffering an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out for at least the next two weeks.