2: Juan Toscano-Anderson
After being acquired at the 2023 trade deadline on an expiring contract, Juan Toscano-Anderson will be entering free agency this summer as an unrestricted free agent. After a short stint of 21 games and two starts for the former dunk contest participant, his time with the Utah Jazz may have come to a close.
In his time with the Jazz, he’s averaged 3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, averaging about 15 minutes per game.
Toscano-Anderson contributes as a consistently nice role player when he plays. However, with the combination of potentially three new first-round draft picks coming in this June, potential free-agency additions as well as the existing young talent in Utah already, is there really a need for him to return to Utah?
Throughout his career, Toscano-Anderson has been known as a player to have interest from win-now teams, as seen with his signing with the Lakers last offseason, along with his previous 4-year stint with the Warriors. It would be expected that another contending team would pursue him come July, right?
Toscano-Anderson will be entering his age 30 season in September (his birthday actually on Monday; happy birthday, Juan). With the potential to contribute to a more competitive roster around the league, the opportunity for him may just be greater elsewhere.
Just like Rudy Gay, it feels as if the timeline for Toscano-Anderson’s career will inevitably match better elsewhere. After essentially being acquired by the Lakers as a throw-in, his time with Utah may end up being a short one.