Ryan Anderson: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation Surrounding Free-Agent PF
Power forward Ryan Anderson is poised to become an unrestricted free agent in July after four years with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Continue for updates.
Anderson Garnering Interest From Houston
Monday, May 16
A person familiar with the Houston Rockets told Sean Deveney of Sporting News that Anderson could be a possible top free-agent target for them this offseason.
At 6'10", Anderson has made his name in the NBA as a big man who can shoot well from distance. He's recorded more than 100 made three-pointers in five of the past six seasons, including a league-leading 166 in 2011-12 with the Orlando Magic.
In 2015-16, he trailed only Anthony Davis in New Orleans with 17 points per game and proved he could score from just about anywhere on the floor, via the NBA:
The Rockets could be on the lookout for some sizable players who could add a threat from three-point range.
While they ranked third in the league with 878 made three-pointers, they made just 34.7 percent of their attempts, which ranked 19th.
It got even worse when it came to their bigger players from distance. The eight players over 6'8" who attempted at least one three-pointer combined for a 27.7 percent success rate.
According to John Reid of NOLA.com, the Pelicans "have not disclosed" whether they will make a serious attempt to re-sign Anderson.
New Orleans does have his Bird rights, as Reid explained that the team could re-sign him and exceed the salary cap. The Pelicans have over $68 million of guaranteed salaries, via Spotrac, and could have almost $20 million more to play with depending on where the NBA sets the salary cap.
Per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the league's projected salary cap will be $92 million. If Anderson gets anything near his four-year, $34 million deal he signed back in 2012, via Spotrac, then the Pelicans will be well above that.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
