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The Golden State Warriors lost several role players this offseason, including consummate team player and the ever-stalwart Juan Toscano-Anderson.
The 29-year-old has spent the last three seasons with the Warriors but departed after the Dubs’ NBA title run for Western Conference rival Los Angeles Lakers. The team swap puts Toscano-Anderson in a unique position to play alongside both Steph Curry and LeBron James, arguably the two defining players of this basketball generation.
Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet on Wednesday, July 6, asked Toscano-Anderson about the opportunity to be teammates with two of the greatest to ever play the sport.
.@juanonjuan10 chats with @Mike_Bresnahan about joining the #Lakers, being able to play with @KingJames and his title run with the Warriors.
Everybody around me has been talking about it. I’m just trying to soak up the moment. I really appreciate being able to play with [Curry]. It’s not every day that you get to be around greatness in any facet. People don’t get to do that every day, and I appreciated that every day.
Now I get the opportunity to play with, in my opinion, the best player to ever play basketball. I don’t know what that’s going to feel like yet. I know it’s going to be amazing. I know it’s going to be very motivating and uplifting. And it’s going to be very challenging, of course. What I appreciated about [Curry] was that he led by example and I wanted to be great like him.
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Warriors Did Not Offer Toscano-Anderson Contract to Return to Team
GettyStephen Curry (left) and Juan Toscano-Anderson of the Golden State Warriors
Despite how Toscano-Anderson feels about James, he may well have wished to return to Golden State next season — particularly as an Oakland native who had spent the entirety of his NBA career in a Dubs uniform. However, Golden State never really gave him the chance to come back.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on June 29 that the team chose not to extend Toscano-Anderson a qualifying offer of $2.1 million for the 2022-23 regular season.
The Warriors are not extending qualifying offers to Juan Toscano-Anderson ($2.1 million) or Chris Chiozza ($1.9 million) before the deadline today, per source. Both JTA and Chiozza are now unrestricted free agents, free to sign elsewhere and unlikely to return to the Warriors.
“The Warriors are not extending qualifying offers to Juan Toscano-Anderson ($2.1 million) or Chris Chiozza ($1.9 million) before the deadline today, per source,” Slater tweeted. “Both JTA and Chiozza are now unrestricted free agents, free to sign elsewhere and unlikely to return to the Warriors.”
Toscano-Anderson eventually signed a one-year deal with the Lakers for just north of $1.9 million, per Spotrac. The guard/forward hybrid and defensive specialist appeared in 139 games for the Warriors, starting 28 of those, and averaging 17.1 minutes per contest. He also averaged 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists throughout his time with the team, per Basketball Reference.
Toscano-Anderson Grew Up With James as Basketball Hero
GettyToscano-Anderson defends LeBron James during a game between the Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anderson went on to gush about his new teammate in Los Angeles, saying that James was his basketball idol growing up.
“I already wanted to be great like [James]. I wanted to be great like [James] when I was a kid. Just being able to play with him now and see everything he’s accomplished in this league, not only as a basketball player, but as a Black man, as an entrepreneur — I have the utmost admiration for him,” Toscano Anderson said.
“So I’m excited to get to work, I’m excited to compete against [James], I’m excited to show him who [I am], and I’m excited to earn his respect as well.” Toscano Anderson continued. “This is a business, and it’s a dog-eat-dog world when you step in between those lines. I’m excited to show who I am and gain the respect of my teammates.”
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Toscano-Anderson Breaks Silence on Leaving Warriors for Lakers