Published 10/10/2022, 2:09 AM EDT
As the NBA preseason gets on its way, fans are excited to see their favorite stars battle it out on the floor. With teams revamping their roster with trades and free-agent signings, players have made their way from their former team to another.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Every year players switch teams due to multiple reasons. It may be because they want to hunt for a championship with a better team, or a more lucrative contract offered by a new team.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Juan Toscano-Anderson to play for the Lakers
All in all, fans are always amped to see players facing their old team and teammates. Sometimes, there is some bad blood between the player and his former team, which results in an interesting matchup for fans to witness.
Feb 4, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson (95) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
But that is not the case in this situation. Former Golden State Warriors player Juan Toscano-Anderson recently left the Warriors to join forces with the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning a championship with Golden State, the forward will now be playing with the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Toscano-Anderson bounced around in different leagues outside the United States. He finally made his way to the NBA G-League and started playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors before being picked up by Golden State in 2020.
After playing for three seasons and winning an NBA championship alongside Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors, he finally chose to part ways with the team to start a new chapter in his professional career.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Fans were nostalgic and left in blues as they saw one of their favorite players in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey as the Golden State Warriors went up against the Los Angeles Lakers in the preseason. One fan commented, “damn wish he was still with us.” While another Twitter user commented, “seeing him in Lakers gear feels wrong.”
Juan not the first player to leave the Warriors for the Lakers
This was not the first player to leave the Golden State Warriors to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Kent Bazemore was another player who took a pay cut to join the star-studded team of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. However, the Lakers even failed to make the playoffs that season.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Juan Toscano-Anderson is a native of East Oakland, California. So for fans to see a native of California playing for another team is understandably hard. Let’s hope that he has an even better career as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers than he did with the Golden State Warriors.
Let us know in the comments below what you think.