Kyle Anderson leaving Timberwolves for 3-year deal with Warriors
Kyle Anderson #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves heads to the locker room after the first half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Target Center on April 9, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The only real decision for the Minnesota Timberwolves to make as NBA free agency opened Sunday was on the future of Kyle Anderson.
It turns out Anderson made the decision for them. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Anderson is leaving the Timberwolves for a three-year contract with the Golden State Warriors for $27 million. Golden State will acquire him via a sign-and-trade with Minnesota, which will get the Timberwolves a future second round pick swap and money to help their salary cap.
Anderson came to the Timberwolves two seasons ago, and saw his role grow significantly after Karl-Anthony Towns missed 56 regular season games with a calf injury. Anderson made 46 starts, averaging 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
This season, he played in all but three regular season games and made 10 starts. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He often got the rebounds, played defense and made the hustle plays that go unnoticed on a stat sheet.
Anderson said immediately after the Timberwolves were eliminated from the Western Conference Finals it was his hope to be back in Minnesota, especially with his son being on the autism spectrum.
"Wherever I go, I’ll still be in the NBA. I honestly want to be back here, my family is here, my son is on the spectrum, he’s doing really well here in the Minnesota school system and his development is really key. He’s doing really well, so that plays a part into it. I don’t know where I’ll be."
In the end, the money was too much to pass up for Anderson.